Education

Technologies in Arts Integration Curricula

Technologies in Arts Integration Curricula

Arts integration has applications across all subject areas in various learning settings. Most articles on visual arts integration do not consider technology; however, it makes sense that they should. By introducing a technological component to arts integration efforts, educators can create an innovative environment where children prepare for the creative and multidisciplinary needs of their future. AMT Lab's latest publication, Technologies in Arts Integration Curriculacompares types of integration hardware, methods of hardware acquisition, types of software, and multiple case studies in order to introduce readers to ways that technology can assist with multidisciplinary curriculum delivery.

STEAM Learning at the Carnegie Science Center

STEAM Learning at the Carnegie Science Center

Moving the conversation around public education from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) has long beleaguered arts managers and arts educators alike.  Defending the argument for arts programming and arts education can be difficult in the face of shrinking school budgets and a highly competitive grant environment.  Particularly in a country that increasingly favors the hard sciences above the humanities, cultural pursuits, and artistic studies.  Despite gains at the federal level with the new core arts standards, the STEAM caucus, and the first budget increase for the National Endowment for the Arts in years, it is still easy to feel defeated.  The question remains, what can arts leaders and community organizers do at the local level to push the conversation in a positive direction?

CREATE Lab: Creating Social Impact Through Empowering Communities

CREATE Lab: Creating Social Impact Through Empowering Communities

CREATE Lab creates multi-disciplinary learning experiences that allow communities to become technologically fluent. CREATE Lab’s novel combinations of visual arts and technologies provide a wealth of new potential tools to arts administrators and their organization. This article will introduce a few of the exciting projects that CREATE Lab is already testing in the Pittsburgh community, as well as access points for administrators and educators who are interested in implementing them.

The Future of Microcredentials: Why Arts Organizations Should Prioritize Digital Badges Over College Degrees

The Future of Microcredentials: Why Arts Organizations Should Prioritize Digital Badges Over College Degrees

Digital badges are an alternative method of credentialing that can identify specific skills that a learner has mastered through the course of their own self-directed learning. Over the course of this research, I will be sharing more about the digital badge acquisition process, taxonomies of digital badges, initiatives being undertaken to standardize and create accreditation, and what employers should know for using digital badges in both hiring and continuing education of employees.

50 quick resources online for arts managers engaged in arts education

50 quick resources online for arts managers engaged in arts education

Lisa Cheeses’ exploration of 50 approaches to arts integration offers arts educators a fresh perspective to examine their lesson plans.   In addition to arousing children’s interests in art, arts education is playing a more powerful role of inspiring children to learn the world in creative ways, ways they like. This article inspires arts managers and arts education to rethink arts education from an integration  perspective: why not add mathematical or scientific elements to the arts education programs?

Bringing Art and Discussion to a Computer Near You: Introducing Google Art Talks on Google+

Bringing Art and Discussion to a Computer Near You: Introducing Google Art Talks on Google+

I am mildly obsessed with Google Cultural Institute. Why, you ask? It's two-fold. Firstly, Google has implemented its newest project to supplement the Google Art Project, Google Art Talks on Google+. As published on Google's Official Blog, "Each month, curators, museum directors, historians and educators from some of the world’s most renowned cultural institutions will reveal the hidden stories behind particular works, examine the curation process and provide insights into particular masterpieces or artists."

Jon Schwartz & The Kids Like Blues Band Program: How technology and music help children learn

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“We’ve managed to incorporate tons of technology into our classroom. Over 90 % of my students have personal blogs. Through their individual blogs, the kids can keep their parents in the loop and show off their creative skills. I get instant email updates when they blog, and nothing is cooler than seeing one of my students post to their blog – over the weekend!- about guitars they wish they had! Oh how I can relate!”

------Jon Schwartz

Can you believe a six-year-old child is as proficient as you do in Photoshop and blogging? Yes! That is what’s happening at Garrison Elementary School located in Oceanside, California. Jon Schwartz, a blues guitarist and a second grade teacher, creatively uses the blues, blogs and Photoshop, as tools to educate kids. Jon’s teaching endeavors, creativity and energy seem highly relevant to arts engagement opportunities for organizations across the country.

“The Kids Like Blues”

The Kids Like Blues Band Program is about using blues music and lyrics as a springboard for teaching academic content standards in reading, writing, listening, speech, social studies, and the visual and performing arts. Based on a careful song selection, Jon chooses lyrics with the appropriate cadence, imagery, and kid-friendly content. Students then sing out the vocabulary given the rhythm, and in turn practice reading through repetitive and engaging activities. The kids themselves are encouraged to choreograph cool dance moves and motions to help them define and recall complicated vocabulary.

These activities provide children an encouraging and exciting environment that motivates them to learn new knowledge and unleash their creativities. Chuck Berry’s “Let it Rock” is one of the most popular tunes.

[embed width="560" height="315"]http://youtu.be/Nlg5n9GmpZE[/embed]

Students who are learning English, have speech difficulties or other learning disabilities, and just plain shy kids seem to develop more confidence as they learn the songs since the material presented to them is an engaging group practice, rather than them needing to talk by themselves in front of the whole class.

See how a Japanese girl benefits from the project:

[embed width="560" height="315"]http://youtu.be/8hCWFIPmD5Q[/embed]

Additionally, both high achieving and struggling students who have made tremendous gains tend to take leadership roles in their enthusiasm generating  creative opportunities, such as designing dance moves, coaching others, blogging the artworks.

See how children create artworks through Photoshop and Blogging:

[embed width="560" height="315"]http://youtu.be/xt4AZ5XWQsM[/embed]

“Perhaps most importantly, my students’ self esteem is soaring and they are becoming passionate about lessons that would have otherwise been dull..”said Mr. Schwartz.  These strong emotional responses to the arts are exactly what arts educators wants to generate in the children, what arts organizations want to generate in their audience, and what art wants to generate in the human soul.  Mr. Schwartz’s model of creative participation and engagement can be translated to audience engagement models through online groups or onsite post-experience workshops. The opportunities abound for the arts to become as exciting to your audience as they are to these students.

Resource:

You will see all of the articles, TV features and 4 videos on their official website www.kidslikeblues.org