Miss Becky DePuy - Art teacher - grades 1-4 and high school Art 1 - approx. 350-400 students
First of all, I have found other educator's and technology coordinator's blogs to be great resources for new knowledge, teaching strategies, behavior management ideas, and new online technological tools that I can use with my classes. It is great to be able to communicate with other educators who work in the same field as I do. I am the only elementary art teacher in my school district and blogs are a great way for me to communicate and learn from other elementary art teachers around the country. It is great to be able to comment and leave questions for others and have them promptly respond back. I am sure that I will make new friends who are fellow art educators and technology specialists by blogging.
I do have a current website for my art students through the school's website. I keep this site up-to-date with information such as items that people could donate to the art room, photos of student artwork, photos of my students in action, and any art room news. But, having a blog site for my classes would have many advantages over my website. The top one being that other's can reflect and comment on certain items, such as student artwork, photos, art news, and email me with questions and concerns through a link that I would insert onto the blog page.
Also I can post questions to my students concerning things they are learning in my class and projects that they would like to do in the Art room. They could respond digitally. It would work as another form of communication between myself, my students' parents, and my students.
I could also provide links on my blog to websites that my students might want to explore, such as virtual art museum field trips, art learning games, online coloring pages, and any other type of site that is related to my content.
I think that my class blog would enhance learning by making my students more interested in what's going on in the classroom, providing a new communication medium for comments, questions, and concerns, and making them more responsible for what they are accomplishing.
For my high school students, they could have their own blog pages. This could be a place where they can have an e-portfolio, showcasing their best artwork. It is a place where their parents and others can digitally view their progress and comment on their work. It is a place where they can insert links to websites that they've explored for art-related powerpoint presentations and projects. Blogging in the art room would help them learn to use this new form of technology for an educational purpose and provide them with the necessary skills to manage future class blogs in their other classes.
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I love your ideas on how to use a blog in your classroom. Would you use a secure blog where only students and parents have access? How would you teach your students to properly respond to each other? I was thinking for the high school students that a artist of the month was showcased and each of the students must post their opinion on the professional artist. I love the student artwork.
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ReplyDeleteTo answer your questions, yes I would use a secure blog and give students and their parents the password.
I would demonstrate to my students how to appropriately respond to each other in a blog. I would discuss appropriate and inappropriate responses in blogging. I'd have them write out their responses the first time before posting them online, so I could check them and give them suggestions.
Great idea to showcase a high school student's artwork monthly online. I already have a similar program in place for my elementary students. I call it Artist of the Month and they receive a certificate and candy. Their artwork is placed in the hall showcase for all to see and often on the school art website.
Thanks again,
Becky
I love your ideas about using blogging in Art! It is so exciting to see the lovely art work. If I were a parent I would especially enjoy seeing it. The artist of the month idea is also ourstanding. I know we are supposed to offer advise, but I have none. These ideas all sound magnificent.
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