Technology is an important and essential part of my classroom. I honestly don't know how I would go back to teaching without it. Each student in my school has their own IPAD which we use often in art class. My students haven't gotten their IPADs yet this year, (rollout starts next week for HS and after Labor day for MS), and it has been difficult to teach this last week without them. The biggest way I use tech in my classroom is my class website. Here I post directions for each assignment, links to relevant content, and showcase student portfolios. I utilize Google Classroom as an LMS system for students to see due dates and turn in assignments. Students turn in a weekly reflection of their process here, and many utilize technology to do so. I have received time lapse videos, voice threads, and photos to document process. Students must then access their Infinite Campus portal to see their grade and my feedback on their projects. For projects, students present their work by keeping a portfolio on their weebly site that includes photos of their work and artist statements. They create this portfolio as early as 7th grade and it grows with them throughout their secondary art career. Students also use their IPADs as a tool for research and inquiry. When thinking about how to use tech in class, I try to ask myself "Is this a natural extension of what we are doing or is it an extra?" "Is this simplifying or streamlining a process that we are already doing?" and "Is this related or similar to how working artists using tech in their process?". If I cannot answer yes to any of these questions, I don't utilize tech for tech's sake. As a younger teacher in my district, I am often called upon as a "digital native" to teach older teachers how to use tech tools and integrate tech in our classroom. I am also part of the schools tech team and one of my goals there is to make sure we are using tech to enhance our existing curriculum rather than squeezing our curriculum to fit tech.
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AuthorMorgan Singleton is a secondary art educator with a Master's degree in art education. Archives
April 2017
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