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One way to use technology to enhance student engagement and offer varying methods of instruction is by using video tutorials.  Listed below is a link for a video tutorial I created to show my students how to make an online gallery of images for a project in art class relating to printmaking.  Students can follow the step-by-step tutorial to better understand how to search for images, save them to a gallery, and upload them for the assignment on a Classroom Notebook collaboration space in Microsoft Teams. This is a great tool for sharing demonstrations and explaining assignments for students who may have an absence. Visual learners benefit from having a video reference instead of text-based instructions.

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The British Library's New Virtual Gallery

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The British Library's New Virtual Gallery

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Harry Potter: A History of Magic - Google Arts & Culture

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Explore the wonders of the British Library exhibition

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Use Google Arts & Culture to Travel the World

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Use Google Arts & Culture to Travel the World

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The Google Arts and Culture website is a digital archive of artwork from around the world.  Over 30,000 artworks are accessible for up-close scrutiny, accompanied by supplemental information about the artist and genre of the work.  Artist name, medium, art movements, historic events and figures, or country of origin filters artwork.  Artwork can be further categorized by online popularity, date, and color scheme.  Users can curate virtual collections of their favorite pieces and save their favorites to a Google account.  Most notably, Google Arts and Culture is available in 18 different languages, making this resource invaluable to the English Language Learner.

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The art classroom is transformed into a virtual museum using this platform.  Using this resource, students will maintain and periodically share a growing collection of favorite artworks centered on themes defined by me each week.  Students will research themes and projects provided by the website as it relates to course curriculum.  For example, in February, when classes focus on African American history themes, students can access a timeline for women’s involvement in the civil rights movement and tour the Brown v. Board of Education historic site using Google earth. After viewing commentary and video from the March on Washington, they explore online art exhibits curated from famous collections around the world.  Students then focus on the life and work of storytelling painters Jacob Lawrence and William H. Johnson, creating a reflective artwork of their own in the art studio.

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Opening Avenues of Communication Between Teachers, Students, & Families

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Opening Avenues of Communication Between Teachers, Students, & Families

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Digital communication is a key component to keeping students and teachers informed about classroom activities and important information.  Making information easily accessible is paramount to reaching as many parents and families as possible.  With a myriad of applications and programs meant to simplify the communication process, it is difficult to decide which are best and will stand the test of time.  There is nothing more frustrating to a parent than to have to learn a new communication app every semester and a different app for every teacher.  Below are two of the most successful digital communication tools teachers should consider for streamlining their parent communication efforts.

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Tool URL: https://www.remind.com

Remind is a two-way, text-based messaging program used on mobile devices and desktop computers.  After a very quick set-up, teachers send class announcements and collaborate with colleagues to communicate with specific groups of students and parents.  Teacher’s draft announcements on a pre-set calendar and automatically update at specific dates and times, or remind students in the moment.  Remind shares photos, important class documents, information about upcoming quizzes and tests, field trip and permission slip reminders, and request special supplies or classroom support through a secure network and monitor who is receiving and reading class messages for maximized communication.  Teachers are accessible but have the choice to post “office hours”.  This minimizes unnecessary late night and weekend interruptions and supports teacher privacy.  In addition to group messaging, Remind now supports communication with specific parents and student via Chat.  Furthermore, multi-language translation is available at the push of a button, allowing teachers to communicate more effectively with ELL populations.

Using this Tool:  This tool is best used for whole class reminders about upcoming dates and activities, and long-term class projects.  Remind is also effective when important documents need signatures.

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Tool URL: https://bloomz.net/

Bloomz is an all-inclusive application combining text messaging, email, scheduling capabilities, forum for questions, and document storage.  Classroom management begins with a personalized social media style page where teachers post announcements, class photos, and videos.  Teachers can see who is receiving and reading class messages for maximized communication.
A behavior management program within Bloomz allows the teacher to record student behavior and assign awards for positive behavior reinforcement.  Sign-up options make scheduling parent-teacher conferences and class parties/special events streamlined.  In Bloomz, students document their work and create a sharable portfolio throughout the school year.  This application allows parents to communicate with each other without sharing phone numbers.  In an age where school directories are guarded for privacy, the Bloomz program promotes a sense of community by connecting parents within a classroom.  Multi-language translation is available at the push of a button, allowing teachers to communicate more effectively with ELL populations.
This tool is best used to maintain positive communication with parents.  I will use this tool to update families about classroom activities and achievements, schedule whole class reminders about upcoming dates and activities, and keep on task with long-term class projects.  Bloomz will be helpful if I must ask for volunteers in the classroom and donations.  This tool can minimize the number of places a parent needs to check-in for reminders, behavior management, grades, and class activities; therefore, streamlining their communication resources.

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Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.) Explore stories from around the world. Retrieved from      https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/

National Gallery of Art. (2014).  National gallery of art kids art zone (Version 1.0.3) [Mobile application software].  Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com

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References:
Bloomz. (2017).  One app for all your parent communication.  Retrieved from https://bloomz.net/

Halloran, J. (2016). 7 effective parent teacher communication tips [Digital image].  Retrieved from http://hallr.com/effective-teacher-communication-tips/

National Gallery of Art. (2014).  National gallery of art kids art zone (Version 1.0.3) [Mobile application software].  Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com

Remind. (2017).  School communication shouldn’t be so hard. Retrieved from https://www.remind.com/

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TAB is a method of teaching students how to think and act like artists instead of seeing art as a craft project. In TAB, teachers differentiate lesson plans to motivate students by giving them choices, to maximize the level of understanding of lesson content through context, to provide a variety of levels for student performance, and to increase opportunities for creative expression (Edwards, n.d.).  Students will have the opportunity to learn objectives through observation, active participation, and reflection.  TAB is a choice-based method of art education that maximizes student ownership in the creative process (2018).  The teacher first introduces specific skill sets (drawing, painting, knowledge of the color wheel, etc.).  Demonstrations aide visual learners and time for practicing a new skillset allows the teacher the opportunity to circulate the classroom and offer individualized learner feedback.  Students then make choices about media, subject matter, composition, and presentation, before embarking on project-based assignments.
Students have a common goal, such as "Make an artwork that represents life on a wagon train." Students then have a variety of artistic mediums to work with. They can make a painting, a drawing of a still-life, a scenic shadow box, etc. Differentiating the style of lesson completion keeps students engaged in the lesson, maximizes student understanding, reinforces content, and challenges each student appropriately.  Furthermore, “Inclusive art education programs allow students with disabilities the opportunity to learn through the repetition of concepts without the repetition of activity” (Reavis, 2009, p.17).

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This is one of the fourteen movies from the interactive iPad book, Choice Without Chaos, available in the iBookstore.  In it you can get a sense of what it looks like to teach with choice.

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Creative Knowledge Environments in Choice-Based Art Education

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The Importance of Art Education | StarTalk

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Uploaded by Chelsie Meyer on 2015-01-29.

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Engaging learners in the artistic process by providing choices in the art classroom helps to keep students on task.  When students are interested in what and how they study, they are more likely to stay on task.  Assigning projects with a variety of methods for completion is called Choice Based Art Education (Meyer, 2015).

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- Make assignments and projects engaging and meaningful.
- Find out what students are passionate about and provide an opportunity for them to explore these interests.
- Promotes exploration of  personal interests.
- Enhances the creative process.

TEACHERS CAN: Engage students in discussion about their artwork, ask questions, listen to students, make suggestions.  Showing interest in student work gives value and meaning to their efforts.

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Tap into student interests with a trip to the British Library 

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Tap into student interests with a trip to the British Library 

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View artifacts relating to the making of the popular Harry Potter books.

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Students interested in the Harry Potter series can research additional mythical creatures.

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See artwork that isn't included in the novel!

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See artwork that isn't included in the novel!

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Students can find Harry Potter inspired artwork as well as the sketches made by the author J.K. Rowling.

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The goal of CRCM is to improve the quality of classroom relationships. Rogers and Renard (1999) argue that “students are motivated when they believe that teachers treat them like people and care about them personally” (p. 34). One way to establish a caring foundation is to initiate dialogue about human differences and facilitate the design of classroom procedures with an emphasis on diversity and mutual respect.

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MEANINGFUL MINGLING: Collaboration Strategy to Promote Talking About Artwork & Providing Peer Feedback

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MEANINGFUL MINGLING: Collaboration Strategy to Promote Talking About Artwork & Providing Peer Feedback

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Meaningful mingling gives equal representation of all students’ opinions and ideas in a group setting (Osterholt & Barratt, 2012).  When applied in the art classroom, this method provides peer feedback on student artwork in an anonymous setting, encouraging students to make honest and thoughtful critiques.  Student comments prompt open discussion and analysis of a diverse set of opinions and interpretations.  “Given that high-achieving students are more likely to volunteer responses than students with learning disabilities,” Nagro, Hooks, Fraser, and Cornelius believe “finding ways to question all students can promote student interest in learning, activate prior knowledge, and improve comprehension in an inclusive manner” (2016, p.244).

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References
Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.) Explore stories from around the world. Retrieved from      https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/

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A video showing how to introduce the concept of critique to students.  This method can be adapted to 8th graders and introduced before students participate in group critique. 

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A video showing how to introduce the concept of critique to students.  This method can be adapted to 8th graders and introduced before students participate in group critique. 

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critique and feedback - the story of austin's butterfly - Ron Berger

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References
Bedrick, A. (2012).  A typical class period [Video file].  Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/47513104

Edwards, E. (n.d.). Differentiation of instruction. Retrieved from https://naea.digication.com/ericagloveredwards/Differentiation_of_Instruction

Meyer, C. (2015, January 29).  Choice based art education [Video file].  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oERTH05Txhw

Teaching for Artistic Behavior. (2018).  What is TAB choice?  Retrieved from http://teachingforartisticbehavior.org/

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Students have a period to reflect on artwork or a specific design principle and anonymously write thoughts and comments on post-it notes, assigning their comments to specific artwork for critique.  In the art studio, the teacher must encourage the use of descriptive vocabulary, promoting constructive analysis of composition and design.  The teacher acts as a moderator, moving through the comments until all works of art have a brief critique.  Students receive valuable feedback on strengths and weaknesses in their artwork through communication and cooperation.

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In practice, classroom rules and expectations drafted by students are more effective because students feel valued and invested. In addition, Alber (2017) suggests teachers selectively reveal personal aspects of their lives for students to relate to and compare. As an art educator, sharing my artistic process and portfolio is one way to deepen relationships and

opportunities for connection with my students. Additionally, studio assignments exploring personal experiences, opinions, and unique ideas help me learn about and interact with my

students as individuals. Lastly, by sharing these assignments through critique and peer

evaluation, students gain valuable insight about one another.

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REFERENCES

Lerner, T. (2012, December 8).  Critique and feedback - the story of austin's butterfly - Ron Berger [Video file].  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms

Nagro, S. A., Hooks, S. D., Fraser, D. W., & Cornelius, K. E. (2016). Whole-Group Response Strategies to Promote Student Engagement in Inclusive Classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(5), 244.

Osterholt, D. A., & Barratt, K. (2012). Ideas for Practice: A Collaborative Look to the Classroom. Journal Of Developmental Education, 36(2), 22-27.

Vieth, E. (2015). Eight graders participating in a post-it critique. [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.grandcenterartsacademy.org/2015/02/06/art-critique/

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References

Alber, R. (2017, August 16). Relationships matter more than results. [Blog post] Edutopia.

Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/relationships-matter-more-rules

Robertson, K. (n.d). Students benefit from multicultural classrooms [Digital image].  Retrieved from https://www.theage.com.au/education/students-benefit-from-multicultural-classrooms-20140508-zr6mf.html

Rogers, S., & Renard, L. (1999). Relationship-driven teaching. Educational Leadership, 57(1), 34-37.