Beautiful, not Barren!

Every time I head to New Mexico I am amazed at the landscape. I live in south Georgia where it is hot, humid, lush, green, mosquito-filled, and slow moving. New Mexico is where the rest of my family lives. As I fly into the Albuquerque Airport I always marvel at how brown the landscape appears. However, in spite of its seemingly drab appearance, the desert is anything but boring or barren. It is dotted with some of the most amazing structures nature has ever produced.


The days are hot and dry, but at the end of the day, the sun sparkles off the desert sands and produces some of the most breath-taking sunsets I have ever seen. That sunset is sort of your reward for suffering through the heat of the day.


I love New Mexico because my family is there, but also because God's paintbrush swept across it in a most wonderful way.


Enjoy the slideshow.

Desert Delights!

Personalize a free photo slideshow

Poll

Stop by our EDU320 blog and take the poll on whether or not art should be graded.  Can we find balance with this "hot topic"?

Week 3 Follow-up

I enjoyed our discussion this evening.  Thank you all for your contributions to the class; the more we share, the more we expand our thinking.

As promised, I have posted an exemplar for the PowerPoint presentations.  I posted it under the Page (at the top of the blog) for viewing PowerPoints.  I also created a new page with the link for the Common Core Curriculum we discussed.

I look forward to seeing your presentations and reading your reflections.  As always, contact me if you need any help.  Also, if there is anything you want to see on the blog, let me know and I will post it.

Remember, next time we meet, I will be coming to you from the desert of New Mexico.  I will post some pictures!  Have a safe July 4th filled with food, family, friends, and FUN!

Week 3 Elluminate Live! Discussion

This evening in our Elluminate Live! session we will be discussing Chapter 5 of our text.  Come prepared with your thoughts on these discussion questions:


1.  How will you create a classroom environment where children feel free to experiment?

2.  In what ways can you create a classroom culture where it is "OK" for students to critique one another?


3.  Do you believe that the way you display art influences how it is perceived?

4. The Great Debate:  Should art be graded?  If so, how?

Week 2 Reflection

I want to share a reflection that gave me one of those terrific "AHA!" moments.  I just love the perception that "art is everywhere".  


Week Two Reflection:

 I realized the other day that art is everywhere, it surrounds us. It is in the song that the bird sings, the distance horizon as the sun greets the morning, and in the night sky as a blanket of stars come out each night to dance with the moon. As I was looking up at that clear, beautiful night sky I began thinking about the true artist who started with a blanket canvas and in a few days He created a world full of color and life. Our Heavenly Father is the first and only true artist to me. When you view something and your emotions and feelings are stirred you have witnessed true art. To me art is passionate, emotional, serious and funny. It is everything and it is nothing. It is whatever you make it to be or whatever you want it to be.

This week was a learning experience for me. I did not know that there were different approaches to art. There are three to be exact: Contextualist, media, and formalist. For me I believe I would lean more to the media approach. This approach allows your students to learn and work with different art media. This approach opens your students to the world of art and the different types of media. It could also spark an interest for some students that could carry on throughout their life. 


Now the interesting information came from chapter six this week and how Bloom's taxonomy is weaved throughout art. The three domains are all present: Cognitive, affective, and psychomotor and if I am not mistaken I believe it was Kellie's paper that did a good job of explaining how each domain is present in art. Her explanation was short and to the point; just the way I like it. I am very thankful to all my classmates that responded to my paper this week with sweet words. It puts a song in your heart and a smile on your face. If time had permitted I would had responded to all of my classmates' papers, but seeing that it did not I responded to three this week: Linda, Kellie, and Shirley; each expressing their thoughts and viewpoints on the two chapters this week. You know you could look at the papers we write as art. We all read the same information, but get a different view of what we read. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this reflection art is everywhere, we just have to open our eyes and it is there.

Week 2: Looking Ahead

READ ~ REACT ~ RESPOND ~ REFLECT

I hope you enjoy reading your classmates' reaction papers to Chapters 1 and 6 as much as I do.  By Friday, respond to at least three of your classmates; make your responses both thoughtful and thought-provoking.  On Sunday, email Dr. Walts your Week 2 reflection.  


As you reflect, think about what has caught your interest.  Did you have any "AHA" moments? Did you strongly agree or disagree with something you read this week?  When you looked beyond our textbook, did you discover something new or intriguing?  Perhaps one of your classmates prompted you to move your thinking in a new direction. 


Mark your calendar: we WILL have an ELLUMINATE Live! session next week on Tuesday, June 21st. Remember, as we engage in our class discussions, it is especially important in an online environment that everyone speak up and share.  Your voice needs to be heard and your thoughts need to be shared.

Weekly PowerPoint Presentations

I have added a new page to our blog.  At the top, beneath the header, you will now see two links: Home, and Weekly PowerPoint Presentations.  When you click for the presentations, you will be able to view my slides from our class session.  This will help you reconnect with what we discussed as you work on your weekly reflections.  

Week 1 Reflection

Here is a reflection from one of your classmates; I thought you would enjoy reading it~

Dr. Walts said that she has found that people either love art or hate it. I love it! I cannot paint or sculpt, but I do draw a little. I am by no means a brilliant artist or the next Van Gough, but I try and have fun doing it. Art is suppose to be a fun time, a time to express how you feel or a "just because I wanted to" time. 


That is why I love watching children draw or paint. They have no boundaries and are not concerned with what is right or wrong, they just enjoy it. I was excited to hear that our power points are going to be art projects. How fun is that going to be? Dr. Walts told us at seminar that we are going to come up with art projects for the different subjects. I hope my son is ready to do some art. 


It was fun reading everyone's journey with art. A lot of us have experienced the same journey when it comes to art. We remember a few projects and the art we did in vacation bible school. Some had a good experience while the others said they could only draw stick figures. I believe we have a little artist in us all, just waiting for the right moment to come out. 


I am really looking forward to this class and finding some new and creative ways to bring art into the classroom. I know I have come away from my other education courses with some great ideas and have been sure to keep them in my toolbox. I found this quote the other day and it made me smile and reminded me of this class. "Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it" by Danny Kaye. Life like art it's all about what you make it. You can color it black and gloomy or you can color it with bright and beautiful colors. It is all up to you!

Summer 2011: Weeks 1 and 2

I enjoyed our seminar together yesterday!  I look forward to receiving your emailed reflections.

For Week 2:
Monday:  read chapters 1 and 6
Tuesday: do your reaction paper on chapters 1 and 6
Wednesday: post your reaction paper for chapters 1 and 6 in the discussion board
Friday: respond to at least 3 of your classmates' reaction papers
Sunday: email your week 2 reflection to Dr. Walts