Integrating Technology

 I recently collaborated with my mentor teacher created a differentiated lesson plan and unit for my 4^th grade students.  Recently, we sat down again and discussed how I could integrate technology into my art lesson to encourage global awareness and cultural diversity.  The art lesson that students are doing is a cave drawing project where students have been learning about the prehistoric cave art discovered in Lascaux cave in France.  I like doing this assignment with students because it allows them to go back in time and learn about a different time period as well as a different culture from a different time period.  I recently researched some different technology resources I could try to implement into my lesson to engage my students learning.  In my classroom, I have a projector and a Smartboard which I use for my everyday lessons rather I’m projecting a video or doing something more interactive with my students.  This technology has allowed for me to create a more immersive experience for my students and take them to new places even if we are only going there in our minds (Harmon, 2019).  Technology is constantly changing and evolving and I do feel it’s important for teachers to stay equipped and up to date and the newest technology that can be used in the classroom.

 I know I recently found an idea that I want to adapt to this current lesson with 4^th grade and it’s something I may try with other grades and lessons as well.  I recently read on the idea of using social media in the classroom, which at first I wasn’t sure if I could see how it could work in a classroom setting and be appropriate for students.  The idea is to create an Instagram account for classes and to have an “Instagrammer of the Day” which will be a different student each class who will be charge of documenting their peers working on their project showing their progress and hard work (Branstetter, 2021).  This could also be used to engage with other art students globally using a social media platform and showing students how to make connections and promote culture diversity. 

Another way to use technology as well as promote global awareness, is by reaching out to an expert/scientist/historian who is knowledgeable on cave art that specifically of Lascaux cave.  I would love to set up an interview where my students could speak with someone who possesses vast knowledge on cave drawings (McVeagh, 2015).  We could connect via Google meet or Skype and students could talk to them in real time.   I would also like to implement SeeSaw as a helpful resource for students to use towards the conclusion of the project.  SeeSaw is a great resource where students can upload pictures or videos of their artwork and create a digital portfolio to share with their classmates and peers (Branstetter, 2021).  With this resource, students can also share it with others globally and find other cave art created by students their age in a different part of the world. 

References: 

Branstetter, D. (2021, March 12). Technology tools that support arts integration and steam: Education closet. Retrieved October 06, 2021, from https://artsintegration.com/2016/07/19/5-tech-tools-support-arts-integration-steam/ 

Harmon, W. (2019, February 25). 10 ways technology can enhance the Art Room. Retrieved October 06, 2021, from https://theartofeducation.edu/2019/03/08/10-ways-technology-can-enhance-the-art-room/ 

McVeagh, R. (2015, November 20). 3 creative ways to teach global awareness. Retrieved October 03, 2021, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/3-creative-ways-to-teach-global-awareness 

Designing a Differentiated Lesson Plan

This week, I would like to share one of my art lessons that I am currently doing with my 4th grade students.  The students have just started their art unit for the year which will focus on different time periods in art history, starting at the beginning of time with prehistoric cave art.  A little background on what the students will be doing, they will be creating their own cave art drawings by drawing animals and symbols using chalk pastels and charcoal.  Students will be learning about the mystery of cave art drawings and how they came to be created.  I always enjoy doing this art lesson with students and I like to create an immersive experience that makes them feel like we are going back in time to prehistoric times.  

For this lesson, I am incorporating different types of instruction to try and cater to my students with different learning styles.  By creating an immersive learning experience, I am able to get student interest in the project.  I also start off the project by doing an introduction where we look at images of cave art and watch several videos on cave paintings.  The first day, we will begin doing the first step of the project which will be hands-on.  I try to incorporate hands-on activities in everyday art activities to entice my kinesthetic learners.  I have even played around with the possible idea of having students draw underneath the tables to give them even more of an immersive experience.  The drawing component of this lesson will also be good for all of my visual learners in class as well.  For this particular grade level, we do not have any SPED students.  I do have gifted and talented students in these classes.  

When creating my lessons, I try to visualize where my students are and what art skills were taught in the past.  I create my curriculum considering the supporting goals and skills I want my students to reach by the end of a unit (Nieves, 2018).  I feel it also helps to break down skills to help students that may need more guidance.  I think it is a good idea to show students what skills we will be working on so that they are aware of the skills I am looking for in a lesson or unit (Nieves, 2018).  I feel this helps lead to more student success.  I try to have a variety of techniques and approaches that can cater to students of all different learning styles.  Differentiation can be done in a whole group setting, which as an art teacher whole group instruction is mostly what is implemented and students work independently on their own projects (McCarthy, 2015).  

As we are going through any lesson, I like to stop and assess what the students are learning.  Usually my summative assessments are verbal while formative tend to be more written.  I’m constantly asking my students questions to gauge their understanding of the content being presented to them.  For my SPED students, gifted students, and early finishers, I try to accommodate them accordingly.  In my 4th grade level classes, I do not have any SPED students, but in my other classes the way I assess them may be different.  The standards and skills may be different than that of the other students.  For SPED I could be assessing that students are able to complete their work of art on their own or with minimal help.  It really depends on the students and what their needs are and I accommodate based on their set of skills.  For my gifted and talented students, I would assess what skills could perhaps move on to and what standards are they already addressing without being taught.  

In this lesson, I try to utilize technology wherever I can.  Most of the activities are hands-on and require the students to work independently.  However, when doing assessments and in class presentations I try to use technology as a way of helping with differentiation in the classroom (Richards, 2019).  I love to show videos to make the students feel like they are inside an actual cave getting to see the art. There are several different resources for kids that show engaging content on cave art. National Geographic kids is a wonderful resource that has so much history content that I can tie into any lesson.  For this cave art lesson, they have great sources that students can explore as a class or individually on their own personal chromebooks.  

References

McCarthy, J. (2015, August 28). 3 ways to plan for diverse learners: What teachers do. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy

Nieves, K. (2018, November 02). Differentiation in a rigid curriculum. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/differentiation-rigid-curriculum 

Richards, K. (2019, November 17). How to use technology to differentiate instruction. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.hmhco.com/blog/how-to-use-technology-to-differentiate-instruction-in-the-classroom 

Learning Style Analysis

 I am currently taking a graduate course on differentiated learning for my master’s program.  We are currently focusing on analyzing learning styles and how they connect with differentiated instruction in the classroom.  I gave one of my 4^th grade classes a learning style inventory assessment to determine what each students learning style may be.  After completing the assessment, I randomly chose three students to be my subjects to analyze further. 

Being an art teacher, I teach multiple grade levels and knew I wanted to narrow it down to one class from one of my grade levels.  This class in particular is one of the lower performing classes in 4th grade.  These students were all grouped together in a smaller class to help assist them with more one-on-one differentiated instruction.  The three students that I am working with are Amy, Carmen, and Karter (For this study, I have changed the students’ names to protect their identities). The results revealed that both Amy and Carmen are visual learners while Karter is a kinesthetic learner.  I have known and worked with these students for many years now (about four years) and so coming into this I know their skill levels and strengths when it comes to art.  As I am planning my future lesson for these students, I am considering the learning style inventory and taking into consideration what will work best for each of these students.  I know I am already differentiating learning in my classroom, but I want to take it a step further and see what more I can do. 

I have been researching learning styles to better understand how I can cater to my students’ learning needs. Students develop learning habits that will follow them throughout their educational careers (Parish, 2019).  We know not all of our students will retain information the same way.  As educators it is our job to work with our students and see what best resources will help in creating differentiated instruction.   I have also found that interconnections can be found with social and emotional development.  Brain development plays such an important role in helping students retain information as well as recalling information they have learned.  By better understanding the brain and how it functions, we can better help our students reach their academic learning goals.  We need to consider our diverse learners.  Often teachers can feel overwhelmed trying to figure out the best curriculum for all students.  One thing that may be helpful when creating curriculum is to consider the universal design for learning, this is a flexible model that gives teachers an overarching theme to start with that will help teachers when designing curriculum (Parish, 2019).  By following the universal design for learning, teachers can teach content in many different ways to provide variety for students with different learning styles (Parish, 2019).  For example, a teacher could create a lesson that shows visuals such as videos or drawings, could have students listen to an audio or recording, and could have students get up and move for an extended activity or exercise. 

With my three students, I am in the process of coming up with instructional strategies that will cater to their visual and kinesthetic learning styles.  I could see the benefits in grouping students together that have similar learning styles, such as my two visual learners (Dean, 2019).  But, instead I would like to try a different approach.  For my visual two visual learners, Amy and Carmen, I feel using visual images and drawings will be helpful to them in the lesson.  I can create visual presentations with pictures (which is something I already implement in my lesson) as well using color to emphasize important concepts and main ideas in the lesson. I like to make my students visualize pictures and ideas in their head, so saying something like “Picture this….” And then having them close their eyes to visualize what they see in their mind (Somji, 2018).  Also, having them write and draw pictures or doing a step-by-step demo where I draw and then they draw with me could also be helpful for them.  For my kinesthetic learner, Karter, he needs hands on activities and can easily lose focus on a task.  I could try to incorporate more movement in the lessons by including songs or dances that will get him up and moving around a little more.  Maybe even allowing for him to stand while he works or give him a flexible sitting option to help with his hyper activity.  I also like the idea of giving him a puzzle to solve or an object to interact with (Somji, 2018). 

I’m hoping by implementing some new changes and accommodating the students learning styles more will help them in completing their art assignments for me.  I’m also hoping that it will help to engage these students more in the content and help them retain the information even better.  In the assessment process, I can use different forms of assessments for my visual learners and for my kinesthetic learner.  An assessment doesn’t have to be in written form, it could be drawing a picture or creating an object or 3D sculpture.  I can use their strengths and skills to assess their progress in the classroom. 

 

References

Dean, M. (2019, October 31). 7 Creative Ways to Teach Diverse Learners - Classcraft Blog. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://www.classcraft.com/blog/creative-ways-to-teach-diverse-learners/

Parrish, N. (2019, May 15). Ensuring that Instruction is Inclusive for Diverse Learners. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/ensuring-instruction-inclusive-diverse-learners

Somji, R. (2018, April 17). Teaching strategies for the 8 different learning styles. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://virtualspeech.com/blog/teaching-strategies-different-learning-styles

Integrating Technology with Differentiated Learning

 

By: Abbey Vidal

Today the classroom looks very differently than it did ten years ago.  I know that when I was back in Elementary schools, we didn’t have the technology and resources that my students have available at their fingertips today.  With technology comes advantages as well as disadvantages.  But when it comes to differentiated learning, technology can be a helpful tool that can help teachers and students.  An arrayment of resources is available for teachers to use with students, which is great for differentiating learning. 

Before we dive into how technology can integrate with differentiated learning, it’s important for one to know the purpose of differentiated learning and why it is important.  Differentiated learning essentially takes into account that all students approach learning in different ways and it is up to the teacher to accommodate their needs as best as possible.  Students can speak different languages, can have different cultural and socio backgrounds, and overall be on different learning levels (gifted or special needs) can effect how students learn and process information (Ferlazzo, 2018).  With the use of technology it can help to alleviate some of the obstacles that students may face during instruction (Felazzo, 2018). 

I would like to provide a list of technology resources that can be used to utilize differentiated learning in the classroom.  I will also break down each resource so that you can see how they can be deemed helpful. 

SeeSaw

Description: Seesaw is a online resource that can be used by students and teachers that encourages creativity and provides a space for students to share feedback with one another.  Teachers and students can create and post videos to engage with one another. It can be used for any subject varying from Math to Art. It is very easy to use and navigate for students as well as teachers. 

How it can be used with Differentiated Learning:  SeeSaw offers a different approach to learning that is more interactive and visual that can help grab students’ attention.  It also allows for the students to be in charge of creating their own videos and content to share with their classmates.  It can be used for learners on all different skill levels and scaffolds learning to cater each individual student (Fortin, 2018).  It can be used for students to work independently or in a group. 

How it creates ownership: This resource does help students in creating their own engaging content and being more involved in the learning process.  It requires more a little more work, but in the end will lead to a more meaningful learning experience. 

Price: The price to use the Basic Seesaw app is free to teachers and students.  However, there is a SeeSaw Plus subscription that can be bought that provides more options to teachers and students.  

Newsela

Description: Newsela is an online resource that allows students to look up current event articles and helps students to work on reading skills as well as learning about what is going on in the world.  Teachers can assign articles to students or students can pick an article of their choosing.  Students can select between different lexile levels depending on where they are.  It also offers short quizzes with feedback and correlates to reading standards (Stern, 2015). 

How it can be used with Differentiated Learning: This resource can help students to build upon their current reading skills as well as practicing their reading skills.  It gives flexibility by allowing the students to choose an article and allowing them to read it and give their opinions on it.  Students could work independently or in groups to collaborate with one another to combine opinions. 

How it creates ownership: Students can choose the reading and are in control of what they read.  This allows for them to take responsibility of their learning content and gives them more power. 

Price:  Newsela is free, but Newsela Pro is a more advanced option for teachers that allows teachers to create content based on the readings provided. 

Prezi

Description: Prezi is an online presentation resource that helps make presentations more engaging and interesting catering to both teachers as well as students.  It is an interactive presentation that helps to engage viewers in a more unique presentation format.  It also allows for students to become like the teachers and practice their presenting skills as well as helping to build up confidence (Raki, 2016)

How it can be used with Differentiated Learning:  This resource helps students create their own unique presentations that cater to their type of learning.  By allowing students to create their presentations, they can approach researching in any way that works best for them. 

How it creates ownership: By allowing students to create their own presentations, it is allowing them to take ownership of their research and show what they have learned.  It also allows for them to share their findings with their peers. 

Price: The basic Prezi for presentations is free, but they also have video and design-based resources that do require a paid subscription. 

 

References:

Ferlazzo, L. (2018, March 05). Response: Ways to Use Tech to Differentiate Instruction. Retrieved September 08, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-response-ways-to-use-tech-to-differentiate-instruction/2018/06

Fortin, K. (2018). Using Seesaw to Expand the Walls of the Classroom. Retrieved September 08, 2021, from https://blog.betterlesson.com/using-seesaw-to-expand-the-walls-of-the-classroom

Raki, H. (2016, September 18). 10 ways to Differentiate Instruction with Technology. Retrieved September 08, 2021, from http://blog.whooosreading.org/10-ways-to-differentiate-instruction-with-technology/

Stern, J. (2015, March 30). Enhancing Learning Through Differentiated Technology. Retrieved September 08, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/enhanced-learning-through-differentiated-technology-julie-stern

Reflecting back on this Semester

Reflecting back on this Semester

This past semester has been quite eventful and I've learned so much in these last few weeks.  I created some art, talked about art, and watched kids make art; all these things I have thoroughly enjoyed doing and experiencing.  I gave myself some advice at the beginning and since than I feel that I have learned so much and seen so much that their is more advice I would like to give to myself...

Some additional advice I would give myself is no to become discouraged when some students seem disconnected or disengaged at first.  Some students take longer to warm up to you and open up to you.  Give them time to come to you when they are ready.  Be empathetic, show your students that you care and be accessible to them.  You'll need lots of patience, probably way more patience than you have now.  

Most of the time the students that seem to give you the hardest time are the ones who need you the most.  You will have students that will need you more than others.  Make lesson plans that you would enjoy and engage kids in a way that you feel would interest them and don't be afraid to change things about a lesson that don't work.  Once you start working with students you'll be able to see what works with your students and what doesn't work.  It'll be all about trial and error.  

I think the most important thing is to remember is that you're trying to make an impact in these student's lives, even if you end up teaching young kids they are still impacted by what you create with them.  Not all of your students are going to grow up to be artists or pursue a career in art, but it'll be nice to know you sparked their interest in art and made them realize that they are creative individuals and maybe even grow to love art.  

My Practicum

My Practicum

These last few weeks I've had the opportunity to observe a High School Art classroom.  This was my first experience observing high school students and overall it was a very eye-opening experience.  I observed a teacher who teaches mainly Media Arts classes consisting of Graphic Design, Photoshop, and Photography.  She has taught at this high school for over 10 years now and has taught basically all the courses one could think of.  One of the first things I learned about her teaching experience was that when she applied for the job at this school, they claimed they would hire her under the pretense that she would be in charge of the Yearbook.  Ideally, the art teacher shouldn't be asked to take on an extra duty that is outside of their expertise.  It made me realize that their are duties that are given to teachers that go beyond their job description, and teachers are expected to perform/do these duties without question.  

I had the chance to briefly observe the other art teacher's as well.  I found it interesting that one of the art teachers was told he would teach a stained glass class and he had no experience with stained glass what so ever.  Yet, he was able to create a curriculum that was quite engaging.  He actually gave me some good ideas of some possible art projects I would like to do with my students.  One of the teacher's has the largest art classroom I have ever seen, equipped with three kilns and 2 throwing wheels (though only 2/3 kilns and 1/2 wheels is actually funcational).  I'm glad that I was fortunate enough to observe some of the other art teachers because I learned that every teacher has a different personality and style of teaching.  Some are more laid back and relaxed while others are more assertive and blunt. I see how some students bond with their teachers and come to them for guidance and advise.  I feel this bond is necessary between teacher and student.  I understand not all students are going to want to come to you, but it's important to be accessible to students who may need you.   

My Ideal Teaching Situation

My Ideal Teaching Situation

Once I begin teaching, I would like to think I will always have a say in where I will teach and what grade level I will teach.  However, I'm also aware that if a position opens up and it is not necessarily my ideal option, I may be compelled to take the job.  I've been able to observe Elementary, Middle, and High School Art classrooms and I've gotten a taste of what one can expect.  I always feel I have been drawn towards teaching at the Elementary School level.  I've always enjoyed working with young children and feel that they definitely keep you on your toes.  However, a while back I got the opportunity to work one-on-one with some middle school students and I found that I also enjoyed working with them as well.  I feel middle school is a good age where you can do more advanced art lessons.  So I guess I can see my teaching Elementary or Middle School level.

I've never seen myself teaching at the High School level.  Yet, I've had so many teachers tell me that they never intended to teach High School and they find themselves teaching high school.  I feel in order for me to be a successful teacher I need to become more assertive when interacting with students.  I feel with younger children I don't have difficulty interacting with them, but I've noticed I struggle more to interact with teenagers.  I don't want to limit myself and say that I cannot teach at the High School level because if theirs an opening for an Art Teacher at a High School I'd more than likely apply for the job.

Ultimately, I want to help my students to think creatively, to create freely without fear of judgement.  I want them to push their artistic abilities and be willing to think outside the box.  I want to create an environment where all these things can happen.  I want my students to walk into my classroom and feel that they are in an relaxed and fun place where they can take their mind off of the stress of school.  I want them to learn and grow as young artists, but I also want them to have fun doing it.