What does learning art online lack?

I’ve been given the unique opportunity to observe my own daughter, Zoe, take the online art course in which I created for the Florida Virtual School. It’s a little nerve racking watching her breeze through, struggle, like, and dislike elements of the course. Ultimately she is grasping new concepts, stretching herself artistically, and enjoying the work. I am relieved.

I watched her work on the element of texture this week. She observed the work of artist Ansel Adams, looked for examples of texture in the comic section of the daily paper, and then created her own texture rubbings. She voluntarily spent more time than necessary trying to find unique textures. Her final task was to create a collage out of her texture rubbings. It turned out fantastic! Later, she discussed the process with other students in the course and received detailed feedback from her instructor.

This made me wonder…what does learning art online lack? With the flexibility of time, place, path, and pace, Zoe was able to get so much out of such a simple assignment. She was able to take risks that she might not have taken if she was in a room filled with other sixth graders working on the same project. Zoe looked forward to submitting the work, knowing that her instructor’s feedback would be detailed and positive.

I believe that learning art online helps provide where traditional art programs are forced to lack. For example, 30 minute classes once a week requirements are no longer an issue online. Being able to explore the web for added research on artists is easy online. Furthermore, teachers have more time to grade and provide quality feedback when their schedules allow. The differences are incredible.

Can traditional classroom art teachers design a blended model to improve art experiences at school? What if part of the class were taught online at school, preserving face-to-face time for studio work? What would the implications be?

Twilight and Learning?

I’m working each week to find my “voice” as I brainstorm and contribute to this blog. I thought about the various topics that I’ve encountered this week through work, school, and my personal life one sticks out in my mind… “Twilight!”

Friday night my family and I ventured to the mall to be one of the first to own the release of the “Twilight” DVD. This fictional fantasy started over a year ago with my 12 year old daughter, Zoë. She found the first book and in no time had read all four in the series. Little did we know the REST of America was, too. Zoë read the entire series not just one, but two more times. She saved her allowance for weeks just for Twilight merchandise. She counted down months until the release of the Twilight film, and yes, was there on opening night to see it. Yes, she is officially obsessed.

Yet she keeps going back to the books and is pretty critical of the film. She comments, in detail, about how the characters are not ‘accurate’ in the movie. Zoë also notes that many events were changed just for the movie. I have encouraged her to consider most of popular media this way. Copyright and artists’ rights have also come up as a result of the Twilight mania. Zoe was sad to learn that because of a copyright breach, Stephanie Meyer may not finish the series with a final book. The author took the time to write to her fans and explained how the motivation diminished along with the secrets of her draft. Read her blog entry for her thoughts and a copy of the draft of the unfinished final book.

There have been so many “lessons” surrounding Zoe’s journey with Twilight. From Art to Music to Copyright to Technology to Social Issues to Economics and more. I wonder if teachers are using Twilight as an opportunity to teach their students? I can attest that there are at least two hundred middle school aged fans in Gainesville, Florida who would respond to lessons surrounding Twilight. I know since they were in line with us until 12:01, March 21st for the DVD.

Does teaching and learning art online mean art without tactility?

Several question came up this week in one of my online doctoral courses, as some people believe that there are subjects that cannot be taught online. What experiences are left out when teaching and learning online? I say, “None!”

I believe that all subjects can be taught to all students effectively online. The nearing future may dictate that all of education head in that direction. I also believe that effectively teaching online desperately depends on having a quality teacher/facilitator in the course. I do NOT believe that students can get quality education via software alone.

One of the most common questions asked of me is, “Polly, how in the world do you teach art online?” A few years ago I published an article answering that very question. Click here to read more. Most people are comfortable with teaching and learning about art history online, but not studio art. What do you think? Does teaching and learning art online mean art without tactility? With webcams, web conferencing, digital cameras (video & still), and more…are we really missing the hands on approach to teaching art? “Online” is basically where the teacher lives, but that doesn’t have to be the home of learning. Students can still create art at home much like they would in the traditional classroom. In fact, I would argue that (facilitated properly) students are likely to feel less inhibited to express their ideas at home, then they are at school- ESPECIALLY middle school students.

I googled “Art Education Online” which resulted in over 6,000,000 links. Most of the links to actual online art ed. programs were from higher education organization, the rest were to art resources housed online. The Academy of Art University has a video of how art is effectively taught online. Their philosophy is much like what I highlighted in the article mentioned above. Why aren’t their more K-12 programs? What is keeping “Art” from moving in this direction?

GPS in the Artroom

Image taken from: http://www.anttilaitinen.com/suun.htm

As art educators, we continually strive to implement new and exciting projects into our classrooms. One way to integrate technology, math, science, and history with design is to use a Global Positioning System in the art room.

One idea of a GPS in your classroom is to explore the world of Position Art- the art created by moving while tracking your GPS location. The World is Your Canvas is a position art project going on right now. Think of the possibilities! Here are some other examples of position art using a GPS.

Another interesting concept for art teachers using a GPS is the idea of “geocaching.” According to Wikipedia, “Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world.” Visit http://www.geocaching.com to read more. Take the challenge and find a “treasure” near you.

Geocaching is similar to a modern day version of a time capsule. “Finders” can leave their mark, while “planters” can truly make a impression by leaving a piece of art for others to seek out.

I believe that there are endless possibilities for using a GPS in the artroom. Happing tracking!

The Future of Art Education

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing Stephen Heppell speak on Education of Tomorrow. Stephen Heppell, one of the brains behind think.com, discussed many different ways of learning. Throughout his talk I wondered, “What will art education be like tomorrow?”

Will we be back to “art on a cart” as Susan Bivona blogged about for today’s NAEA Monthly Mentor? In contrast, will we be teaching our students to use the latest and greatest in technology (like a 3D printer) to design our next work of art? Will we be using a GPS to create positionable art as shown here: http://www.theworldismycanvas.com/ ? As art educators, how can we prepare for teaching the art of tomorrow?

I believe the first step in preparing to teach in the education of tomorrow is to create your own PLN (Personal Learning Network). The Innovative Educator provides 5 simple steps in creating your own PLN. I have taken their advice and most say, “I’m a believer!” I’m starting to feel like I’m “in the know” with current trends in technology, education, and art. You too can take the challenge of starting your own PLN and get prepared to teach in the art education of tomorrow.

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