Tag: Technology in the Classroom

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Art Class Most Popular

Maryland Education Play Date

Recently I was able to attend an amazing full day workshop designed to allow teachers time to play with digital technology!  It was a time to  “PLAY” with tools and ideas that we’ve learned about but have not had time to explore!

I met other educators who have experience using tools/apps/programs in the classroom and gain knowledge from their experience! I also shared my knowledge about using the Seesaw web based app in my classroom!

I was also able to be apart of a group of teachers testing and collaborating OER websites for Maryland State Department of Education.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are high-quality, openly licensed, online educational materials that offer an extraordinary opportunity for people everywhere to share, use, and reuse knowledge.

 

It was truly a day of connecting and collaborating! I made a few new friends and networked with like minds. I totally look forward to the next play date!

 

PLAYDATE stands for People Learning and Asking Y: Digital Age Teacher Exploration. PLAYDATE originated from the idea that after attending conferences and having the good fortune to learn about “a myriad of new tools, websites, tricks and apps,” upon returning to school, educators had no time to experiment with them. Thus the idea of #PLAYDATE was born.
This Education Week article discusses the first PLAYDATE.
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Art Class Existence

I can and I WILL…

Wow, September just FLEW by!! I was absent the first two weeks of school because of a family emergency, my other half is feeling a lot better today. Not being at work those days was a big challenge for me, not only with taking care of Theo, but missing school. Its tough when you’re gone for one day let alone eight! There is an energy to being a teacher and starting school, and when I finally returned to work I had to mentally prepare myself to have that same energy so my students wouldn’t miss out on all the amazing things I had planned just because the plan didn’t go the way I thought it would.

I am totally enjoying my students. We are having a wonderful time exploring and experimenting. The energy in the classroom studio buzzes with excitement and creative thinking. So far the worst part of my day is when school is over and I have to wait for the next day. Seeing the progress they are making on their projects and with their artistic expression brings me such joy!

Show your work off!
Ms. Valentines Art Studio
We even put work on the ceiling.
Learner centered Environment
Writing our Social Contract, a behavior agreement we created.

Students are currently completing their name tags which will be inserted into plastic sleeves that will be adhered to their lockers! Every student in the building will have a plastic sleeve attached to their lockers to share their art, good grades or just a positive message.

The GT 8th grade art class just completed their first sketchbook homework assignment; use every material in their exploration packets to create a piece of art. Students needed to also come up with one new technique for using a material.

Students also have more blended learning, the 6th grade class has started our lighthouse digital conversion this year. Each student has a device with them every day.  This has been wonderful in the art studio. Students are able to look up reference images that they might need to help them with their projects, or even just listen to music while they work.

Our school system is starting a new objective statement for what the students will do in class. They are call the “I can” statements. I believe the I can statements are a great start, but without the will to do what you know you can do…nothing would ever get done! “I will” means I can and I am going to. I want to and I can!  That is what being a C.E.E.Q.E.R. is all about, knowing we can and then putting the effort into doing. Creating, Exploring, Experimenting, Questioning, Expressing and Reflecting.