It wasn’t too difficult to come up with a project using a SMARTBoard for art. It seems like a hands-on tool like that would be perfect in my classroom. I found http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/jungle.htm while searching for projects that had to do with the jungle and saw a huge opportunity to use it in my classroom. I do not currently have a SMARTBoard, so I have not been able to implement this, but I plan to as soon as I move into my new classroom next year.
Integrating Technology into Teaching on page 184 mentions that a SMART Board or other interactive white board will not make a poor lesson plan better, but will enhance a good lesson plan. I hope my lesson plans will be effective and fun for my students, and I think that the SMART Board will help me with this.
One fear I have is the use of other markers on the board. I have heard horror stories about Sharpies being used, and the entire SMART Board having to be replaced. The board alone costs around $1300, and the projectors run about $800. It really adds up when you add cords, instillation fees, software, etc. I’m blessed that I will have one in my room already, and I will be careful to keep students with markers away from it.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Handheld Technologies
I have always been fascinated with computer animation, so when I heard about using Graphic tablets in the classroom I became very excited. I know that the students love to watch movies by DreamWorks or Pixar, and I love the idea of bringing those into my classroom. Many of the students in the school where I teach have little or no access to technologies like this, so Graphic Tablets would be an awesome teaching tool.
When thinking about using Graphic Tablets, the lack of funding came to mind. My dream would be to have one Graphic Tablet and one copy of Adobe Photoshop installed on each computer in our computer lab, but I don’t see this ever being possible. I couldn’t even get one copy of Photoshop for myself to use without having to pay money out of my budget. I researched prices and found some moderately priced Graphic Tablets. The Genius MousePen 8 x 6-Inch Graphic Tablet is $37.49 on Amazon.com. I have some classes with 31students, so that would come to $1,162.19 plus shipping and tax. I get $2 per student in the school equaling roughly $1600 for the entire art budget per year, so this purchase would not be feasible. My dream would be to have the Wacom Intuos4 Professional Pen Tablet - Extra Large, a professional grade tablet. These cost $789 a piece, equaling $24,459 for a classroom set. Oh, how I wish I could afford that.
If I ever did get Graphic Tablets for my classroom, then I would use them for drawing, coloring, and ideally for computer animation. Students would be so excited to be able to create their own characters, and I believe that this might engage them more in story-telling and writing. I hope that someday these will be available to us all.
When thinking about using Graphic Tablets, the lack of funding came to mind. My dream would be to have one Graphic Tablet and one copy of Adobe Photoshop installed on each computer in our computer lab, but I don’t see this ever being possible. I couldn’t even get one copy of Photoshop for myself to use without having to pay money out of my budget. I researched prices and found some moderately priced Graphic Tablets. The Genius MousePen 8 x 6-Inch Graphic Tablet is $37.49 on Amazon.com. I have some classes with 31students, so that would come to $1,162.19 plus shipping and tax. I get $2 per student in the school equaling roughly $1600 for the entire art budget per year, so this purchase would not be feasible. My dream would be to have the Wacom Intuos4 Professional Pen Tablet - Extra Large, a professional grade tablet. These cost $789 a piece, equaling $24,459 for a classroom set. Oh, how I wish I could afford that.
If I ever did get Graphic Tablets for my classroom, then I would use them for drawing, coloring, and ideally for computer animation. Students would be so excited to be able to create their own characters, and I believe that this might engage them more in story-telling and writing. I hope that someday these will be available to us all.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Technology for diverse learners
In my classroom I have a laptop that is hooked up to a projector, a desktop, and an optical mouse. There are microphones we can use, but I feel that I am loud enough, and there is no soundproofing between my room and the next. We have DVD players and VCRs. There are two computer labs in the school, and a SmartBoard room available if you reserve it.
Most of what I teach in my art classroom is hands-on. I have never had a student who was unable to physically create art, though some of my students still lack the fine motor skills needed to perform some tasks. I teach the special education students, and they sometimes get lost and are in need of a lot of help in order to create a piece of art. I also have many students who speak little or no English. Most of them are able to follow along visually and do not require a large amount of one-on-one assistance.
There are a few students in the district that are high-needs and have a personal aid that comes with them. In the past I have taught a deaf student who came with her own interpreter. Some teachers have shared their struggles to teach a blind student art. Others teach students with severe physical limitations.
As I began my search for technology, I was really interested in what was out there for blind students. As I looked I found the phrase Tactile Graphics. This involves printed materials, such as coloring books and maps, that can be purchased and used by blind students. Here is a link to one site that sells coloring books for blind children. http://www.tactilevisioninc.com/books_coloring.php
They cost around $10. I also found some grid paper that can be embossed here. http://www.tactilegraphics.org/products.html
The sheets range from $10-$35.
The ultimate tool for teaching blind students using technology would be a Braille and embossing printer. I found one called the Emprint SpotDot. It has awesome features, but it costs $6,995 plus $250 for training on how to use it. http://www.viewplus.com/products/ink-braille-printers/emprint-spotdot/
There are many other technologies out there that would be useful, but I feel that in art, hands-on work is most important.
Most of what I teach in my art classroom is hands-on. I have never had a student who was unable to physically create art, though some of my students still lack the fine motor skills needed to perform some tasks. I teach the special education students, and they sometimes get lost and are in need of a lot of help in order to create a piece of art. I also have many students who speak little or no English. Most of them are able to follow along visually and do not require a large amount of one-on-one assistance.
There are a few students in the district that are high-needs and have a personal aid that comes with them. In the past I have taught a deaf student who came with her own interpreter. Some teachers have shared their struggles to teach a blind student art. Others teach students with severe physical limitations.
As I began my search for technology, I was really interested in what was out there for blind students. As I looked I found the phrase Tactile Graphics. This involves printed materials, such as coloring books and maps, that can be purchased and used by blind students. Here is a link to one site that sells coloring books for blind children. http://www.tactilevisioninc.com/books_coloring.php
They cost around $10. I also found some grid paper that can be embossed here. http://www.tactilegraphics.org/products.html
The sheets range from $10-$35.
The ultimate tool for teaching blind students using technology would be a Braille and embossing printer. I found one called the Emprint SpotDot. It has awesome features, but it costs $6,995 plus $250 for training on how to use it. http://www.viewplus.com/products/ink-braille-printers/emprint-spotdot/
There are many other technologies out there that would be useful, but I feel that in art, hands-on work is most important.
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