Sumo Paint

I think Sumo Paint is a great tool in place of Photoshop and In Design. I would like to use it in a more professional way with the students. In my college photography class, we used to adjust the levels of photographs and turn them into black and white photos. Our goal would be to have rich/interesting range of values and have a balance of the whitest whites and the darkest darks. I tried to do the same in Sumo Paint as I would have in Photo Shop. I desaturated the color, then adjusted the levels.

Original:

 

Sumo Paint Edited: 

Screencapture

This year, I assigned students tests using Edcite. When the kids enter the website address, a screen pops up that allows them to log in or type their name in. The students do not have a login, so I wanted them to type in their name and continue. This was confusing to the students. A screencapture would have been much easier!

Screencast

This screen cast could support a lesson that teaches techniques in sumo paint/ photo editing, portraits, or pop art. This screen cast shows how to alter a photograph using a filter in sumo paint that resembles the style of artist, Roy Lichtenstein.
Here is a clickable link as well: http://screencast.com/t/CEqEfcPWF

Concept Map

The concept map I created is on Surrealism. The potential lesson I could teach is with a section of reading on Surrealism.

I have a subscription to Scholastic Art. I would ask the students to read a section on Rene Magritte. As they read, I would like them to think about making their own Surrealist art.  The students should think about what their idea is and how they would create it.

After the students read, I would ask them to create a concept map. This map would be to help make sense of what they just read and to brainstorm their own artwork. I would want them to highlight some of the main ideas from the reading. Then, I would ask the students to create bubbles that relate to their own artwork. For instance, juxtaposition of unrelated objects is a main concept in Surrealism. I would ask for them to explain juxtaposition on their map, but then think about what they might juxtapose in their own artwork.

Google Maps

In brainstorming a lesson with Google Maps, I came across the website Google Sightseeing. This inspired the idea to use Google Maps for a landscape painting lesson.

Artists paint landscapes from all over the world. Some get to travel, some do not. The artist Henri Rousseau painted the jungle, but he never visited the jungle. He visited the gardens of Paris and used this to inspire his jungle paintings. I would first introduce the students to artists like this. Artists who may not have been able to travel to beautiful or exotic places.

I would ask the students to make a map of the top 3 places they may want to visit or paint. It could be some place they have visited before, learned from school, want to vacation to, etc. They would make their own map of these places.

Using the Earth view on Google Maps and Streetview, I would like the students to select one composition from each location and sketch the location.

I noticed you can upload an image onto each location. I would like the students to upload their sketches in their own map on GoogleMaps.

The students should gather feedback from their peers on which is their best composition and sketch. They could share their sketches online and embed their map on a blog or other social media. Seeking feedback from each other will allow the students to explore other classmate’s maps and different compositions.

The students would select their favorite sketch and favorite location to create their final landscape painting. I would like the students to change the icon

Sometime landscape paintings can be a little dull. But, this project would give the students a chance to paint a landscape of a place they may never visit. It also allows the students to investigate places around the world that are interesting to them. The students have the Earth at their fingertips!

Below is an example of my map. I would use this as an example for my students. I would like to paint a scene from either of the three cities on my map.

Reflection, Week 4

1. Three theories of learning I would use to teach learners how to calculate and compare unit costs of various size and/of brands of the same product are Constructivism, Situated Learning, and Schema Theory.

Using the theory of Constructivism, I would offer a question. An example question could be, “What brand is the best value for regular potato chips?” If budget would allow, it may be interesting to give each kid $5, and see who could buy the most potato chips. I could take the students to the grocery store, so they could experience the chip aisle for themselves. From there, they could build on what they already know from division and comparisons. They could compare what the prices are per ounce across brands. This would immerse the students in a meaningful, relevant, experience.

Using Situated Learning Theory, the assignment would be done as a group. Each group of students could be given a budget to purchase party supplies for a class party. This would be a community based assignment, where the students who have more experience with comparing prices may take the lead. The students would need to decide how to effectively use their budget, and ‘price shop brands.’ The lead student would first show the other students how s/he would compare unit costs. I would step in when necessary. Then all students in the group would participate in comparing unit costs of different sizes and brands to meet their budget as far as possible for the party. Students who understood the process would ‘help a friend,’ as they decided on the various products for the party and how to stretch their budget. With Situated learning, the students would learn from each other in a real-life scenario.

Using the Schema Theory and Cognitive Load, the teacher would lead learning. How to understand unit costs would be broken up into smaller parts, all building on each other. This way, students would not be overloaded with information. For instance, we could start with how to compare size, once the students mastered that idea, we would compare price, then we could talk about why and how we could compare price per unit with division, and so on. These small tasks would slowly build up to the whole task (comparing unit prices across brands and sizes). This could be done in the classroom setting.

2. Many of the concepts discussed in chapter 14 could be applied to the field of education/ art education. Our end goal is to facilitate learning and experiences that help children be successful now and in the future. As teachers, we want to help students improve their performance. While HPI references the workforce, it can also apply to students. Their performance would equate to learning and applying their newly learned skills. As they continue to learn, we want them to be able to improve on skills such as reading, or creative problem solving, etc.

Systemic versus Linear thinking skills also applies to the art education field. The education field encourages systemic thinking for both students and teachers. Effective teaching and learning (performance) is an end result from a number of interacting elements. Teachers set clear expectations, give timely feedback to students, give access to information, there are consequences, there are procedures, and so on. The classroom functions very similar to a workplace. I agree with the chapter that single-solution, miracle interventions are ineffective in education, just as it is in the workplace. Which is why HPI is accepted in the business world and can also be used in the field of education.

Honestly, I felt the business world and education are interchangeable in all of the chapter. The concepts and charts work the same way with students as they do with employees. I think teachers should use caution though, to make sure they do not take on too much of an authoritative role.

3. I subscribed to Art Ed Radio by Art of Education. It is a podcast meant for art teachers. The topics are relevant to elementary, middle, and high school art teachers. The episodes I listed to were on keeping your art club alive, how to intrinsically motivate students, and teaching artists that aren’t “dead white guys.” There is a variety of topics that range from budgets to dealing with student immaturity to teaching on the fly. The podcasts are hosted by a high school art teacher and he invites guest art teachers and relevant guests to discuss their experiences. I certainly plan to reference this podcast in the future.

4. I was unfamiliar with social bookmarking until we were asked to explore it this week. The idea reminded me a lot of Pinterest. I can certainly see the value in social bookmarking between teachers. Similar to Pinterest and Blogging, I think it is valuable for art teachers to share their experience and resources, since they are often the only art teacher in their building. On an individual level, I love the idea of social bookmarking to better organize sites and resources for planning. I would love to have categories for appropriate artists, art museum lesson ideas, art teacher lesson plans, and classroom management. Right now, my bookmarks are a mess, so I usually don’t use them and then I forget about great resources. Sometimes I feel like tags can be hard to work with. I often forget how I have tagged or organized something. For instance, I tagged similar sites as each: ‘lessonideas,’’lessonplans,’ and ‘lesson plans.’ But I did find the Tag Groups option on Delicious, so this may help me streamline my tags. I am having a hard time thinking of practical ways social bookmarking may be useful for administration sharing with teachers or teachers sharing with parents. In my case, maybe sharing fun art related sites with parents so their kids can access them later. I look forward to see what other people think.