Final Reflection

What? - This course introduced me to a wide variety of technologies that with a small investment of time can produce powerful, memorable products for my students. I learned that a great variety of things can be done with Power Point including the creation of websites that guide student learning. I learned to create Digital Stories and use Publisher products as well.

So What? - This class is an important step towards teacher preparation. It emphasizes the need to keep updated as far as the technology that our students will use professionally. There is no question that education should therefore embrace these tools. I has helped me be more comfortable with trying out new tools, to be willing to fail before succeeding.

Now What? - I will definitely be using technology in my future classroom, especially considering that many artists will be tech based in their practice. I plan to create a website for my classes along with digital stories. I plan to take other courses in the future specifically in regards to graphic and web design. I also want to establish habits- such as making digital stories for many of the art exhibits I attend to making them just for fun for my family.

Digital Storytelling Reflection

1. What? - I had some difficulty managing the new skills I would need to accomplish this task. There were also some technical difficulties that I do not see as always being present. Considering that these my frustrations should diminish over time I think I would enjoy making these more overtime. Once the hurdles were surmounted the time invested was minimal compared to the value of the project. If I choose non copyrighted materials, I could use the stories indefinitely. I will try making more of these. It will be a good way of getting my students engaged in viewing art as I model proper interaction with new, more surprising types of art.

2. So What? - I have reservations about technology that I need to overcome. If I can invest the time to overcome the learning curve involved I will find and use ever evolving tools that will enhance my teaching practice. I was not completely satisfied with the pixilation of my images due to the several generations of copying and pasting they underwent to go from Picasa Web to Photo Story. I plan to revise my work later as I really would wish to show this video to students.

3. Now What? - I really want to expose my students to new forms of art. These are often interactive. Having a video where I talk myself through the images and recreate the experience may be the best way I can replicate it for them.

I also want student to develop their own sense of voice. To do this it it good to hear others express their theories and hear them critique work.

One thing I could do I ask permission from friends whose shows I attend and establish a tradition of creating walking tours of exhibits. In that way I could build a catalogue of crystallized memories and experiences to share with students.

WebQuest Reflection

 

WebQuest Reflection

1. What? - Creating the WebQuest was an enjoyable process.  My teammate and I worked well together.  I was surprised at the versatility of Power Point.  In my content area of Art I imagine this will be well suited for researching art history.  I think I will only use it for historical research.  

 

2.  So What? - This project allowed me to be creative as a teacher and explore an engaging concept behind the knowledge sought for in the quest.  We worked well together with good report and humor.  We were interested in the idea of having students choose a character from the book and perform several tasks from the vantage point of their attitudes and world view.  While I enjoyed exploring those ideas my partner helped more with the structure and formatting of the WebQuest.  That is something I would need to work on to be prepared to do it on my own.

 

3.  Now What? - I would like to make a WebQuest that helps students understand Contemporary Art History, so that they can properly place themselves in time.  Too many students feel they are making original or progressive art that is actually stale and flat. 

I also hope that my students gain a sense of their own unique voice.  This idea could be explored in a WebQuest that need not be limited to art itself.

To complete this I need to see how it fits in with the state core and my overall curriculum.  This will help me design it and place it properly in the schedule.  

WebQuest Reflection

WebQuest Reflection

FRJ- Q8, Q9, Q10, Q11, Q12

Q8. The teacher does not use a token economy. However, one award was given out while I was there. It was awarded to a girl for being a good student and voted on by a group of faculty members. Other students got awards or pieces accepted into exhibitions and they were recognized publicly. These are examples of positive Reinforcement that can motivate students to continue to put forth effort. Calling the class' attention toward these positive outcomes can also help the other students through the principle of Modeling.

Q9. The teacher usually gave a 'wait time' of 1-3 seconds. I believe she could wait just a little longer. I also think the quality of questions could deeper and therefore call for a longer wait time. Another problem with 'wait time' is that her class was not always attentive and as a result the room was not quiet enough for the silence to be effective. She seemed to need to fill the dead time so that the noise would not increase. Will better command of student attention and longer wait times I believe she could involve a greater number of students. 'Wait time' is also important within student responses. Classmates and especially teachers should take care not to interrupt even as pauses within student responses go on for 5 seconds or more. The culture should be that of respect and patience.

Q10. The teacher did not use any mnemonic devices. These could very well be used within art to teach history or principles. A technique such as a loci system would enable children to imagine a sequence, to create a path along with the mental journey that would allow them to retain information. When tested students will often recall knowledge that is linked with affective, memorable experiences. Mnemonics are particularly helpful to help recall pieces of information in specific orders.

Q11. Art classes are ideal for Discovery Learning. The teacher I observed not only had students solve the problem of just how to complete ceramic projects within non restrictive parameters but the coursework as a whole differed from student to student based on the interests they expressed and by completed a given number of skills on long list. By the time I observed the class they were late into the term and various groups of students were all working on separate tasks. This may be difficult to manage as a teacher, but most students were engaged in completing the projects that they themselves had chosen and designed. Surprisingly the students respond well, most stay on task and are pleased to have choice and flexibility built into the curriculum.

Q12. Art instruction often includes demonstrations. Instructors directly model the physical actions required to complete a given task. This does not completely fit the concept of Observational Learning in art classroom generally centers on skill acquisition and task completion. In a broader sense art teachers can act as models as their students witness their actions as professional artists. They may see their teacher exhibit artwork, speak as a guest lecturer or receive commissions to produce artwork. Also as teachers discuss their own thought process in art production and communicate the ideas embodied in their work, students will see the meaning that art has for the teacher and more likely reach the stages of Self-instruction and Self-evaluation.

FRJ- Q3,Q4, Q7

Q3. Identity vs. Role Confusion is the stage in Erikson's theory is where most HS students find themselves. I have seen art classes allow students to find and express their identity. I heard an art teacher tell her student that he could not yet be an artist but that I was because I have a Master's degree. This troubled me because I didn't like the idea of dictating how students define themselves and having such strict classifications of artists or non-artists.

Q4. Level II/Stage 3, Interpersonal Conformity:
The students seem to be motivated by conforming to social pressures and value how others might react to them. As students break and follow rules or procedures I can help them see that their interactions benefit or harm others' learning.

Q7. The teacher cares for students individually but also has an active classroom where students can interact. She could probably guide them more through constructive interactions. To gain more emotional intelligence they need to examine their interactions with others.

FRJ Q1, Q2

1. In Ms. Waite's art class students must use skills specific to Piaget's Formal Operational Stage. They must think abstractly, envisioning multiple solutions to a problem or assignment that does not have a single correct right answer. To complete the class they must have checked off a number of skills on a checklist. Because no-one dictates which skills they must master it is up to each individual to problem-solve, to negotiate just how they will complete the course.
I saw several students reviewing their checklist and deciding what kind of project to complete as their open-ended final project. They based this on skills they already had along with new skills they would need to complete the list and successfully create a new type of work.

2. Ms. Waite employs Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development by balancing direct instruction and personal assistance with the eventual expectation that student will gain competency in a given area. Then the student can build on that base to reach for another task that would have been previously unattainable.
In order to complete a ceramic relief assignment many students needed assistance as to applying additional clay to a surface in a way that would fire well. However they could successfully complete the first stage of making a slab for the base layer because they had already worked on that skill for a previous assignment.

Praxis

I plan to take the Praxis II exam for Art Spring/Summer of 2011.


159 is the minimum score that I must earn on the exam to qualify for my initial teaching license. this number is accompanied by an asterisk siting that this score may shortly change.

The topics covered include Traditions in Art, Architecture, Design and the Making of Artifacts. Also, Art Criticism and Aesthetics as well as The Making of Art. I will need to review these categories and do a broad overview of art history along with the principles and elements of design.

I will need to do more studying on Eurocentric painting seeing as the test has a bias for that work.

On the Praxis II PLT, taken during the first years of my teaching career, I will be tested on many of the topics discussed in the course, from assessment to just how it is that learning happens for my students. I will need to review the content of this course specifically as well as my other courses broadly.

Upon looking at the sample essay and multiple choice questions for the PLT, I realize that I will need to recall much of what I have learned over time in my classes. I will need to study with the attitude of gaining long term knowledge.

How Utah Assesses Students

I have mixed feelings about standardized testing. On the one hand it can unite states in a common goal. It can create a clear baseline which parents across the state would want their children to meet, and upon receiving scores, it allows us to measure/compare the success of individual students and schools and against the norm.

However, these can have high stakes and education may suffer as we teach for tests and bore our students. They are also not necesarily authentic to our childrens' future responsibilities. In most cases they will not inspire them to want to learn.

As an art teacher I may be called on to review testing strategies, as was the case in my own high school experience when my art teacher was my homeroom teacher.
Mostly, I look forward to supporting my students' accademic success in ways that do not directly reflect test preparation. For example I plan to work with teachers from various dicsiplines to create art assignments that ask students to reflect on what they are learning in other classes. This could be an artwork that employs the use of mathematic principles, artwork based on micro-biological forms, portraits of poets that reflect their themes, moods, styles.

Assessment Types

Informal/Formal, Formative/Summative, Criterion Referenced/Norm-referenced, Validity, Reliability, Fairness, Practicality

• Observations- Informal, Formative, Criterion Ref., Validity and reliability will be affected by when you happen upon the students for observation. Impractical- time consuming.
• Self-assessments- Informal, Formative or summative depending on when administered, Criterion Ref, Can be valid, reliable and fair- but be careful as students can be too easy on selves or too hard. Practical- in that students generate the assessment.
• Peer-assessments- Informal, Formative or summative depending on when administered, Criterion, Could potentially be more valid, reliable and fair than self-assessment, depending on inter student relations.
• Projects- Formal, Summative, Criterion, Good demonstration of students exercising knowledge and skills. May be impracticle with time restraints.
• Performances- Formal, Summative, Criterion, Good authentic assessment, shows comfort with material, may be diffictult for shy students.
• Portfolios- Formal, Summative, Valid, reliable, fair and practical. Gives students opportuninty to show improvement. Can be compiled over time- may be difficult to collect, or save all required items.
• Tests Formal, Summatvie, Norm Referenced and Criterion- depending on curve. Reliable if written well. Play best to traditional students, may not be as valid for active learners.

Q6 Cultural Diversity

The classroom has an even distribution of gender, may be approximately 20% Latino and has one African American student. The minority students in the classroom seem to be more socially engaged with each other and have a good relationship with the teacher. For example, Gus from Puerto Rico seemed to be the most socially engaged student and has great report with the teacher who told me "He has a big heart". The more successful students in the content area generally seem to be Caucasian. I do not see any special effort to see how to specifically engage minority students.

Moreno suggests that acknowledge variations among groups as with the example of differing time orientation attitudes. Perhaps give wider due dates can be given rather than a single day.

Q5 Inclusion

The student I saw with special needs completed some of the tasks the others did, but also had a folder provided by his resource room with supplemental activities when he could not keep up with particularly challenging assignments. The accommodation seemed appropriate but it was hard to tell if he was getting the help he needed. He was not monitored as to the progress being made in the folder.

Multiple Intelligences Test

I feel that the Multiple Intelligences Test is only party beneficial. The number of questions is limited in order to properly reflect one's true learning style. Because there are many categories particular questions may weigh into the results. For example the question on pollution may be politically charged so that someone with Naturalistic intelligence may be politically inclined to minimize the threat of pollution. On the other hand, I consider myself an environmentalist and am quite angry about pollution as the question prompted. However, I do not infer from that that I have a particular skill in naturalistic areas.

I can see that my strengths seem somewhat diversified. What this tells me is that I should balance my learning and reach out to different areas of interest.

I hesitate to use a test such as this with my students. I would likely do so only after discussing its limitations in length and by finding some way to diversify the results- such as include multiple tests from various authors. I attempted to take the test a second time but realized that the questions were simply reordered. Because no new questions were given one cannot retake the quiz in hopes of increasing the data to substantiate the conclusions.

One concern I have about tests such as these for teenagers is that they will treat them as fatalistic, lending them more importance than they deserve. Personality tests and career interest tests seem to create this same dilemma. Can we really expect that answering 4 or 5 questions related to interests or abilities can offer a life long conclusion as to learning style or capability in a given area? No, but will teenagers understand that and take the quiz for what it is. We need to show them that it is simply an interesting exercise in self reflection and an opportunity to see approximately where their strengths might lie.

1. What are you doing well?

I am engaged in class and eager to participate.

2. What are you not doing well?

I have not made time to work outside of class regularly on assignments.

3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?

I am falling behind on my goals of completing tasks by engaging daily in class assignments.

4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals?

I am changing my work schedule to give me more time on Mondays and Wednesdays to devote to class assignments and studying course material.

5. How is your motivation? Are you focusing on mastery or performance goals? Does anything need to change?

When I fall behind, I resort to performance goals versus mastery goals. In order to get back on target I need to take things one day at a time and keep up with a pace that is manageable long-term.

What?
Judy Willis employs her background as a neurologist directly in the classroom. She investigates how her teaching engages the brain in holistic ways that improve student emotions and learning. She has given this the acronym of RAD, Reticular Activating System, Amygdala and Dopamine. She is conscious of employing the positive benefits of engaging the various parts of the brain that affect positive emotions and long-term learning.

So What?
Her research is not just cold clinical science, but hands on, with children in her Jr. High classroom. The thoughts behind her current work are developed directly in the classroom. I find her work compelling because she brings with it scientific rigor while being directly engaged in the process of teaching. She can be trusted to come to logical conlusions based on real world experience.

Now What?
I like her idea of using novelty. This falls under the 'R' of RAD as it has to do with focusing the child's attention- in the brainstem. I think it also would help me to improve the emotive quality of a lesson, as students enjoy exploring something new and I myself am more engaged in the lesson. I tend to find a way that things work for me in running a classroom. This can lead to a safe environment- but introducing noveltly would help bring my lessons back to life.

Motivation Blog

I teach art because being an art student helped me gain confidence and find a way to express myself while reaching out to others. I am in the teacher education program because I am seeking long term employment. While I enjoy teaching art here at UVU as an adjunct instructor, I need to find steady employment for my family. I am taking Summer course in order to expedite the process.

I am motivated by the idea that art is a bridge that connects individuals and cultures in an honest and intimate way. I am motivated by the progress I see in my students, the relationships I develop with them and by creating new, interesting assignments to challenge them.

I attribute success to my ability and effort. I attribute failure to task difficulty, poor luck, and mostly to the dilemma of managing schedules in a family with kids, and with both parents working.

While my goals are Mastery based, they are long term and lack some of the specificity of Performance Goals. The rest of the Contract urged me in that direction. I have long term desires to improve my teaching through appreciating each student, but sometimes lack the task oriented and organizational skills to perform well each step of the way.

I need to focus on specifics in the course content, and use this time as an opportunity to learn how to better focus and constantly improve.

Course Contract

Goals for Course:

1. Gain an appreciation for how my students learn in order to tailor my teaching to them.
2. Become more aware of how I myself learn.
3. Become comfortable in the classroom with myself and the various students I serve, considering all our differences and commonalities.

Weekly preparation plan.

1. Check class website daily, to work on smaller tasks.
2. Go to computer lab before each class meeting to review and work on long term projects.
3. Work on coursework during the 2 nights a week that my wife works.

Study Strategies.

1. Create flashcards each week with important terms/concepts.
2. Create mindmap before exams.
3. Participate in studygroups before exams.

When confused.

1. Ask classmate for clarification.
2. Search in textbook, internet.
3. Ask instructor.

I will reach my goals in this course by puting forth consistent effort, breaking up the work over time.