A virtual tour, according to Wikipedia, is "a simulation of an existing location, usually composed of a sequence of video images"--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_tour. Virtual tours are computer-generated and great for educational and informational purposes because they allow the viewer to feel as if they are actually walking through the space being displayed. For so many people who do not have the immediate ability/opportunity to go and study a particular place that, virtual tours prove to be more than satisfactory. Additionally, these tours allow people today to visually experience historic sites and landmarks that may no longer be standing as they once did (such as the Parthenon) or even exist (such as an ancient Roman city).
Virtual tours would be a phenomenal addition to an art classroom, especially when exploring art history. I know there are virtual tours of the Vatican and Stonehenge which would be great for my students to explore in a three-dimensional outlook. The Vatican is home to hundreds of works from the Renaissance and Stonehenge is fundamental in studying the arts, being one of the earliest architectural constructs in history.
A list of pros:
- Provide access to view and learn about particular places that are not immediately/conveniently nearby.
- People can peruse locations at a pace that pleases them.
- Destroyed, extinct, or restricted locations can be recreated to experience once again.
- Simple and easy to access.
- A captivating change from just viewing pictures in a book, printed document, or on the Web.
A list of cons:
- Not everyone may have computer accessibility to particpate.
- Some angels of the space being viewed may not be recorded in the virtual tour; limiting field of vision.
- A virtual tour is not the actual place--thus, the 'nit-bit' details and actual environment will not be fully experienced.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Curriculum Page
Group Members: Billy Latta and Jared Szari
Grade Level: High School / 9-12
Topic and Task: Peeking at Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 5
Photoshop CS4 has done us well over the past few years; however, bigger and better installments are coming our way. Discussion about the CS5 software has come to light. Take some time to read the following document and watch the provided YouTube videos about what has been released about CS5: http://designshack.co.uk/articles/software/photoshop-cs5-a-sneak-peek. Then, follow up by answering a few questions that correspond with the artcle and videos.
1. What is the name of CS5's upgrade on CS4's content-aware scaling? Watch the Sneak Peek of this new level and provide one example/scenario of how it is applied.
2. Name one example of how the use of brushes in CS5 will be enhanced.
3. What is the most noticeable feature with CS5 regarding Refine Edge?
4. What new features compares your previous swatch to the new color you're sampling via click and drag?
5. Name one minor upgrade regarding straightening, saving, or layer opacity.
6. What is the best place to find CS5 information?
Grade Level: High School / 9-12
Topic and Task: Peeking at Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 5
Photoshop CS4 has done us well over the past few years; however, bigger and better installments are coming our way. Discussion about the CS5 software has come to light. Take some time to read the following document and watch the provided YouTube videos about what has been released about CS5: http://designshack.co.uk/articles/software/photoshop-cs5-a-sneak-peek. Then, follow up by answering a few questions that correspond with the artcle and videos.
1. What is the name of CS5's upgrade on CS4's content-aware scaling? Watch the Sneak Peek of this new level and provide one example/scenario of how it is applied.
2. Name one example of how the use of brushes in CS5 will be enhanced.
3. What is the most noticeable feature with CS5 regarding Refine Edge?
4. What new features compares your previous swatch to the new color you're sampling via click and drag?
5. Name one minor upgrade regarding straightening, saving, or layer opacity.
6. What is the best place to find CS5 information?
Credits:
All photos taken and provided by Jared Szari
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Integration Corner
The Integration Corner of the Cengage Technology/Learning website (http://oc.course.com/sc/tdc5/index.cfm?action=home) for our Teachers Discovering Technology (Fifth Edition) textbook is a nifty resource that appears to go unnoticed by many students. By selecting on a chapter, a student can easily access the integration corner by clicking on the link located on the left side of the page. According to Cengage’s website, the Integration Corner is “designed for teachers and other educators who are looking for innovative ways to integrate technology into their content-specific curriculum.” Each chapter offers a bunch of different activities and opportunities to broaden the teacher’s current knowledge and teaching techniques. Likewise, many of the resources provided on the Integration Corner will capture students’ interest to further their learning in and outside the classroom.
Looking under the Integration Corner of the Chapter 5 tab, I found a really creative and useful tool for today’s Art Teacher. Under the “Elementary Corner” is a link to Crayola Creativity Central (http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/search.cfm?dropdown1=4&dropdown2=5&dropdown3=105&dropdown4=0). Though this is labeled for elementary students, I feel I can get a lot of great exercises from this page for middle and high school students. The Crayola website is for all ages. It has coloring pages, craft ideas, games, and two handy pages for parents and educators. The educator’s page is where I am finding all the fun. This page has lesson plan information, galleries, and other opportunities. The lesson plans are practical. You can choose a grade level, subject, theme, and materials desired to then have a list of options simply laid out before you. These lesson are both innovative and fun for the teachers to read about and the students to engage with when the teacher brings it to the classroom. I’m a fan of the Crayola Creativity Corner. The website has a lot to offer and catches the eye with its exuberant use of text and graphics.
Looking under the Integration Corner of the Chapter 5 tab, I found a really creative and useful tool for today’s Art Teacher. Under the “Elementary Corner” is a link to Crayola Creativity Central (http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/search.cfm?dropdown1=4&dropdown2=5&dropdown3=105&dropdown4=0). Though this is labeled for elementary students, I feel I can get a lot of great exercises from this page for middle and high school students. The Crayola website is for all ages. It has coloring pages, craft ideas, games, and two handy pages for parents and educators. The educator’s page is where I am finding all the fun. This page has lesson plan information, galleries, and other opportunities. The lesson plans are practical. You can choose a grade level, subject, theme, and materials desired to then have a list of options simply laid out before you. These lesson are both innovative and fun for the teachers to read about and the students to engage with when the teacher brings it to the classroom. I’m a fan of the Crayola Creativity Corner. The website has a lot to offer and catches the eye with its exuberant use of text and graphics.
Teacher Web Page - Quality
These four teacher web pages are quality (particularly the first two)...
http://www.teacherweb.com/NJ/MetuchenHighSchool/Szkodny
http://www.teacherweb.com/NJ/MetuchenHighSchool/MartyHolleran
http://www.svlocal.org/staff/cgi-bin/homepage.pl?id=sxf2sv
http://www.louisvilleband.sparcc.org/
http://www.teacherweb.com/NJ/MetuchenHighSchool/Szkodny
http://www.teacherweb.com/NJ/MetuchenHighSchool/MartyHolleran
http://www.svlocal.org/staff/cgi-bin/homepage.pl?id=sxf2sv
http://www.louisvilleband.sparcc.org/
Teacher Web Page
A teacher web page is a self-maintained hypertext document on the World Wide Web that is set up by a teacher or educational organization to further assist in teaching and student’s learning through a variety of helpful, online resources; including, but not limited to, text, graphics, video, sound, links, and so forth. Teacher web pages vary greatly in style and purpose depending on the school district, facilities, teacher, and students. Students, parents, other faculty, and the community should have access to view a teacher’s web page. Many schools today are now adopting and requiring teachers to provide a teacher web page to be included on their school’s main website.
Most likely, wherever I teach and by the time I graduate from college in this technology-frenzy generation, I will be required to set up a teacher web page. I know that my school district back at home requires the high school teachers to do just this (http://metuchenschools.org/mhs/Academics/TeacherWeb.com%20Sites/) I most likely would not complicate my teacher web page, nor would I spend too much time preparing it; however, some of the components I may include on my teacher web page would be the following: Classroom Rules, About the Teacher, Goals of the Course, Class Roster’s, Teacher’s Daily Schedule/Times of Classes, Additional Links that may include handouts and interesting information that may be useful for students to have access to, Due Dates, Monthly Assignments (sketches, paintings, and other such related information), and Track Results. I think I would set up the page in the summer and make the necessary adjustments throughout the year (once a month, unless in track season when results need to be posted). Who knows, I may even put music on my web page to shake things up a bit like my high school biology teacher/track coach—Marty Holleran.
Like so many other things in life, there are both pros and cons to teacher web pages. Pros include: access for students, family, faculty, and community to be connected with the classroom even outside the school walls, parents being able to keep up with what their children are learning, students being able to possibly collect missed assignments or material if they happen to miss class, rules and other resources being available for students when the teacher is not present for assistance, and stronger relational growth between students and teachers as they continue to interact through the safe use of technology. Nevertheless, cons include: some students maybe not having access to a computer outside of school, students and/or parents feeling overwhelmed with yet another responsibility to keep up with a teacher’s web page, teacher error (lack of clarity) on their web page which may cause confusion for viewers, and many students may never check the web page. There are many websites that further elaborate on these pros and cons; likewise, there are many websites that further help teachers set up their own web pages and give them advice on what they should and should not do on their web pages. I have provided some of these sites below.
http://www.teacherwebsite.com/
http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=5742
http://www.schoolandteacher.com/
Most likely, wherever I teach and by the time I graduate from college in this technology-frenzy generation, I will be required to set up a teacher web page. I know that my school district back at home requires the high school teachers to do just this (http://metuchenschools.org/mhs/Academics/TeacherWeb.com%20Sites/) I most likely would not complicate my teacher web page, nor would I spend too much time preparing it; however, some of the components I may include on my teacher web page would be the following: Classroom Rules, About the Teacher, Goals of the Course, Class Roster’s, Teacher’s Daily Schedule/Times of Classes, Additional Links that may include handouts and interesting information that may be useful for students to have access to, Due Dates, Monthly Assignments (sketches, paintings, and other such related information), and Track Results. I think I would set up the page in the summer and make the necessary adjustments throughout the year (once a month, unless in track season when results need to be posted). Who knows, I may even put music on my web page to shake things up a bit like my high school biology teacher/track coach—Marty Holleran.
Like so many other things in life, there are both pros and cons to teacher web pages. Pros include: access for students, family, faculty, and community to be connected with the classroom even outside the school walls, parents being able to keep up with what their children are learning, students being able to possibly collect missed assignments or material if they happen to miss class, rules and other resources being available for students when the teacher is not present for assistance, and stronger relational growth between students and teachers as they continue to interact through the safe use of technology. Nevertheless, cons include: some students maybe not having access to a computer outside of school, students and/or parents feeling overwhelmed with yet another responsibility to keep up with a teacher’s web page, teacher error (lack of clarity) on their web page which may cause confusion for viewers, and many students may never check the web page. There are many websites that further elaborate on these pros and cons; likewise, there are many websites that further help teachers set up their own web pages and give them advice on what they should and should not do on their web pages. I have provided some of these sites below.
http://www.teacherwebsite.com/
http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=5742
http://www.schoolandteacher.com/
Sunday, March 21, 2010
WebQuests
The question is what is a WebQuest? In all honesty, I have never even heard of such a thing until I was introduced to it the other night during class. Bernie Dodge, founder and developer of WebQuest.org (http://webquest.org/) defines a WebQuest as follows: “WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.” Basically, it is web-based lesson/activity for students to engage with in order to learn. There are both short and long WebQuets; however, either one always contains the following components: an introduction, task, process, evaluation, conclusion, and credits if anything additional was used.
Though I prefer staying off the computers and delving into art content with physical examples for my students, I could see myself setting up a WebQuest as a progressive homework assignment for my students. They could go home, access the WebQuest, gather the information asked of them, and then bring it back into school to receive the appropriate homework credit. The thought of doing this is actually growing on me the more I think/type about it.
My WebQuest could focus around a particular genre or period of Art history that most students are not excited about. I could set the scene where my students are Art historians and they are on a mission to discover the secrets of the infamous and ancient Stonehenge. I could ask them to “excavate the site and mingle with the locals” (use the online resources I provide) to extract particular information about Stonehenge. And so on and so forth the quest would go.
Pros and cons to using WebQuests. Two pros are that WebQuests are paperless and are accessible straight from the web; however, that also poses a con--what if the student(s) or teacher cannot access the web? This could be a problem. A pro would be the option of making a WebQuest short of long. That’s always a plus; to have your options open. Lastly, WebQuests could be really fun and adventures for students (pro); however, they may be miserable for other students (con). I suppose it’s all about knowing what type of class/students you, as the teacher, are working with and being able to make the best judgment if a WebQuest is the right way to go in teaching/learning.
Though I prefer staying off the computers and delving into art content with physical examples for my students, I could see myself setting up a WebQuest as a progressive homework assignment for my students. They could go home, access the WebQuest, gather the information asked of them, and then bring it back into school to receive the appropriate homework credit. The thought of doing this is actually growing on me the more I think/type about it.
My WebQuest could focus around a particular genre or period of Art history that most students are not excited about. I could set the scene where my students are Art historians and they are on a mission to discover the secrets of the infamous and ancient Stonehenge. I could ask them to “excavate the site and mingle with the locals” (use the online resources I provide) to extract particular information about Stonehenge. And so on and so forth the quest would go.
Pros and cons to using WebQuests. Two pros are that WebQuests are paperless and are accessible straight from the web; however, that also poses a con--what if the student(s) or teacher cannot access the web? This could be a problem. A pro would be the option of making a WebQuest short of long. That’s always a plus; to have your options open. Lastly, WebQuests could be really fun and adventures for students (pro); however, they may be miserable for other students (con). I suppose it’s all about knowing what type of class/students you, as the teacher, are working with and being able to make the best judgment if a WebQuest is the right way to go in teaching/learning.
iLife
This week’s assignment is to familiarize ourselves with iLife (http://www.apple.com/ilife/). In order to get the basic information on what iLife is I resorted both to Apple’s webpage and Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, this is iLife (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILife):
iLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the MAC OS X operating system. The latest release, iLife '09, was announced on January 6, 2009, and is included with new Mac computers. The suite is also sold standalone (computer software that can work offline).
One reading the above, I switched my window back to Apple’s website, glanced more over their display of the iLife applications, and realized that I have interacted with at least three out of the five applications included in the suite--iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand. Being a student, I know from first-hand experience how useful iLife can be when it comes to teaching/learning. So here are two questions that have been asked of the class to answer:
What story could your students tell using iLife? And what content would they learn?
To better oneself with the suite, I would have my students utilize both iPhoto and GarageBand (this does not limit them to branching out and using the other three applications if they please). The assignment would focus around modern artists and their works. The goal would be for the students to learn more about the life of these artists through presenting a brief timeline/story. In splitting the class up into pairs of twos, I would want them to collect an assortment of photos about their artist to then put together and present on an iPhoto slideshow of the artist’s life. To further expand upon the learning process I would want the pairs to prepare an assortment/mix of music from the artist’s time period on GarageBand to go along with the slideshow. The music will help students to better connect and recall the artist, his/her works, and the time period. When the slideshows and music are completely prepared, I would want the pairs to present a brief oral presentation that corresponds with their use of the iPhoto and GarageBand applications. Hopefully, then, everyone in the classroom can learn about a variety of artists and their works from different times throughout the past century.
*Even better would be if students used iMovie and recorded themselves as the artist at different times in his/her life and incorporated such content in their presentation.
iLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the MAC OS X operating system. The latest release, iLife '09, was announced on January 6, 2009, and is included with new Mac computers. The suite is also sold standalone (computer software that can work offline).
One reading the above, I switched my window back to Apple’s website, glanced more over their display of the iLife applications, and realized that I have interacted with at least three out of the five applications included in the suite--iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand. Being a student, I know from first-hand experience how useful iLife can be when it comes to teaching/learning. So here are two questions that have been asked of the class to answer:
What story could your students tell using iLife? And what content would they learn?
To better oneself with the suite, I would have my students utilize both iPhoto and GarageBand (this does not limit them to branching out and using the other three applications if they please). The assignment would focus around modern artists and their works. The goal would be for the students to learn more about the life of these artists through presenting a brief timeline/story. In splitting the class up into pairs of twos, I would want them to collect an assortment of photos about their artist to then put together and present on an iPhoto slideshow of the artist’s life. To further expand upon the learning process I would want the pairs to prepare an assortment/mix of music from the artist’s time period on GarageBand to go along with the slideshow. The music will help students to better connect and recall the artist, his/her works, and the time period. When the slideshows and music are completely prepared, I would want the pairs to present a brief oral presentation that corresponds with their use of the iPhoto and GarageBand applications. Hopefully, then, everyone in the classroom can learn about a variety of artists and their works from different times throughout the past century.
*Even better would be if students used iMovie and recorded themselves as the artist at different times in his/her life and incorporated such content in their presentation.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Commenting
Newest assignment is to comment on 3 blogs. I am choosing to comment on the blogs of one of my classmates, one of my friends from outside of class, and an educational blog I follow.
Classmate - Andilynne H.
http://andilynnesblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/taking-time-to-value-learning.html#comments
Additional Friend - Rob C.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1537941066228269943&postID=689904734701951773
Educational Blog - LeaderTalk
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/LeaderTalk/2010/02/have_you_heard_of_the_google.html#comments
LeaderTalk did not allow me to post a comment without being a member of the blog organization so I am going to post my comment for that particular blog below...
"I don't think most people really understand Google--being one of those people not too long ago. Most people know that Google is arguably the most popular search engine on the Internet; however, I think many still fail to realize the wide expanse that is Google. I am currently taking an education course at Malone University titled Instructional Technology and I have been introduced to the many resources that Google possesses such as: iGoogle, Reader, Documents, Blogs, Images, Maps, and Videos. The list goes on. Many people just don't take the time to explore these fields of Google or they are never formally introduced to them. These resources make the difference in the Internet world for the better of each user. They are especially handy for teachers--everything conveniently located in one central hub. Both teachers and students can now organize their schedules, webpages, bookmarks, information, and e-mail all with one corporation--Google. The idea is brilliant and yes, 'the possibilities are endless.' It is just a matter of informing others that it exists and is right there in front of them for instant access."
Classmate - Andilynne H.
http://andilynnesblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/taking-time-to-value-learning.html#comments
Additional Friend - Rob C.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1537941066228269943&postID=689904734701951773
Educational Blog - LeaderTalk
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/LeaderTalk/2010/02/have_you_heard_of_the_google.html#comments
LeaderTalk did not allow me to post a comment without being a member of the blog organization so I am going to post my comment for that particular blog below...
"I don't think most people really understand Google--being one of those people not too long ago. Most people know that Google is arguably the most popular search engine on the Internet; however, I think many still fail to realize the wide expanse that is Google. I am currently taking an education course at Malone University titled Instructional Technology and I have been introduced to the many resources that Google possesses such as: iGoogle, Reader, Documents, Blogs, Images, Maps, and Videos. The list goes on. Many people just don't take the time to explore these fields of Google or they are never formally introduced to them. These resources make the difference in the Internet world for the better of each user. They are especially handy for teachers--everything conveniently located in one central hub. Both teachers and students can now organize their schedules, webpages, bookmarks, information, and e-mail all with one corporation--Google. The idea is brilliant and yes, 'the possibilities are endless.' It is just a matter of informing others that it exists and is right there in front of them for instant access."
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