Getting real in the art studio.

I’ve been on this new journey in my studio with my students to provide a quality art educational program. It’s a choice based blended studio that is a multi-level course. Long story short, it’s a formal method that I’ve been doing for years in a real mash-up method.

Here is only a few screen shots of my students choice themes they have selected with specific media and artistic targets. Teenagers have a lot to say if you give them room to express it.

The heart composition is the first augmented reality piece, my student created on his own. Check out the aura at hshelnutt’s Public auras on Aurasma.

I have a few on Aurasma too, check them out on my Public Aura Channel -joyschultz.

My student made the heart beat in 3D when you view it on the Aurasma app.

After 25 years of teaching you’d think I could let it roll as I always have but NO!
I’ve created a whole new way of doing things. I have learned so much in the process like modifying code, how to use three different student management online tools, how to trouble shoot two 3D printers, and use, implement, and teach students how to create augmented reality pieces. Everyday is an adventure but the amount of real world issues my students are addressing with their art is inspiring to me. So on days that my mind is spinning and I’m exhausted don’t mind me. My brain is processing my world. Here is a small glimpse of my student’s research and ideas behind the pretty pictures.

I’ve just completed written commentary for my students evaluations for the first piece they have created.  The paperless process that I am using with Google Forms is awesome.  I now have a method to communicate in detail how my student’s can be greater than they already are to me.

Student Leadership Continues

Dropping off money we raised for Haiti. Gracie Kreth Senior Student Director with Connie Fails Clinton Store Manager

Homes for Haiti is a non-profit, student-run organization that has raised a total of $68,000. It partners with the Clinton Haiti Relief Fund to help build back Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010. Within this program, students from Arkansas use scrap materials from their art rooms to create small pins, magnets, and ornaments in the shape of small houses. Each of these pins has a heart on the roof representing the love and support of the Haiti community from students within United States, and when wearing a pin, awareness is spread throughout the community. This organization has an extremely powerful message especially coming from America’s youth.

In fact, it is a completely student driven organization and each year, receives recognition from the Clinton Foundation. Additionally, each student leader has been honored with prestigious leadership awards. Just after the organization was established, Jami Schmidt, the first student leader, received “Bridge Builder Award” from the Clinton Presidential Volunteer Gala in 2010 and Ken Bastian Award Outstanding Community Service Award from the Southwestern Association for Episcopal Schools in 2011. Mimi Ederle assumed the large responsibility and received the Fellowship at the University of Arkansas for all her hard work. To top it off, Riley Blair, who served for two consecutive years received the esteemed Hunt Leadership Scholarship to Southern Methodist University. This year, I am the Homes for Haiti Student Leader, and will work as hard as I can to try to carry out the previous leader’s vision for expansion of the organization. As for the future, this year, I will also be mentoring my younger sister Celia Kreth to assume the position.

This year, I will focus on spreading awareness targeting the younger generations. I have contacted daycare, preschool, and Sunday School programs in the hopes of teaching children and their parents about Homes for Haiti. This, I predict, will help teach children the importance of helping others even at a young age, as well as receive some assistance making the pins by turning the lesson into an arts and crafts project.

I have big plans for Homes for Haiti, and with your help, I wish to make this one of the most profitable and effective year. I believe in this organization because I have clearly seen it make an impact over the years in Haiti. You can help by purchasing a pin at the Clinton Museum store, making a donation, or spreading awareness for this cause and organization.

Gracie Kreth

Homes for Haiti Student Director

Beyond Proud of my Students

I Believe ART can Change the World

Blended Learning and Student Management Platforms= Student Choice

There has been a lot of excitement and curiosity around changing the way educators deliver content, expectation, rigor, play, and standards. I have read and watched several researchers who have made this a focus for the new paradigm shift in education. Books- Blended Learning and #EDJourney

I have been reading and researching the changes and dissecting my own philosophy for handling my specific population in my school. I have reflected on how I was trained as an art educator (DBAE), how I function as an artist, and what I recall as memorable experiences in my schooling that helps me relate to my current students.

A lot has changed for teenagers and even more has changed with technology so with that as a known, of course, education needs to change. I am not afraid to modify and change to meet a greater outcome for my students. I have always been a student-centered teacher. I am proud of the rapport I have with my students and they always expand my understanding and help guide me with what was successful and what wasn’t.

I have been active on the art teachers Facebook platforms and on Twitter so I keep up with the trends, thoughts, and questions about what is going on with art education. It’s actually really interesting to see what others share. I love seeing the successes and fails, the open discussions about ideas, and the variety of viewpoints about how art education is changing.

I started this year as a full choice art studio but as I am still learning the differences between Choice and TAB, I am discovering I am falling more into the TAB philosophy. Bare in mind I don’t care for labels, I care about good education.

Last year I wrote a new curriculum to start this school year. I used to teach Drawing I, Drawing II, Painting I, Painting II, Printmaking, Media Art, Sculpture, and AP Art. I have all semester courses on a block schedule with a 70-minute period. That worked for sometime but I started to have student requests for second level experiences in courses that only offered one level. I could not support any more classes. So what happened next was the students were enveloped into other courses and I offered work for those individuals on the side to expand and challenge them. It worked for a short time but it’s not an ideal system.

New School Year New Program- Offerings this year:

DRAWING, PAINTING, PRINTMAKING, MIXED MEDIA, SCULTURE, AP ART

In each course students are classified and placed in beginner, intermediate, and advanced level. The student’s transcript indicates the level the students are in for each of the courses. The student’s can take only three semesters of an individual course. After that the student will enroll in a different course or AP ART.

That is a lot of levels in each course and hard to track so this is where student management platforms come in to the studio. As a school we are using Haiku for all of our classes. I use Haiku as my resource page for all of the forms I need for my students to access. For example: Themes, Artistic Targets, Project Proposal Form, Assessment Forms, and Display Proposals. (formative and summative assessments)

Haiku Learning Management Platform Tutorial

I use Pinterest to create boards for my students to review for ideas and inspiration; I also offer links to tutorials, artists’ websites, and past student examples. I divide the resources into Media and Themes.

My Project Proposal Form is a Google form so I get a spreadsheet to help me track the student’s choices and artistic targets.

One of the issues I read about that some teachers are having difficulty with is the accountability for the students and the project progress. I have a different student centered platform for my students to use as an art journal/sketchbook.

It’s Blendspace. My students create an account and have control of the privacy of each lesson they create. I require my students to keep the information limited to only people who have the code to each lesson to see the link. I also have the students set the usage of the content to no one. I am teaching them early to protect their artwork and digital footprint. The students copy the code to the lesson link on Blendspace to the Google form on the Haiku page to submit with the project proposal.

I get a spreadsheet that indicates details about the artist proposal including the code that relates to the artists lesson. I can see it but no one else can, unless the student shares the link code with peers.

I require my students to attach inspirations to the Blendspace link that can include sketches, YouTube tutorials, art websites, music, etc. I get a full idea of what makes this specific project idea come alive for my student. I also require that my students document the progress of the piece throughout the process. I am putting an emphasis on the experimenting, planning, research, and play to complete the final piece.

Blendspace Tutorial

I do assessments on the stages of the project and conference with my students on progress, offer support, scaffolding for skill building, etc. The student proposes a deadline and we will refer to that art proposal frequently to keep the student propelling forward. I do leave room for restarting, absences, slower paced workers, and over-achievers. Everyone is working at his or her own pace with accountability.

My observations so far this year: (two weeks into the year)

The students are making very good choices on themes and artistic targets that are achievable but challenging. The amount of out of studio class time has increased due to intrinsic motivation. The quality of the art research and output is very strong.

My fears of students not working have evaporated. My students are working in the morning before school, lunch, club time, study hall, and after school. They are looking at art, finding interesting news and links to support their concepts. It is refreshing to witness and see the documentation of the student “voices” that are emerging.

Very powerful concepts with topics that is important for the artist to express in their own way.

My next goal is to create a augmented Art Gallery display in our school utilizing some of the documentation my students have accumulated on the Blendspace link to showcase the process and thoughtful research. Aurasma is the platform I recently have been trying and it is pretty easy to create.

Aurasma Tutorial – Augmented Reality

Without the element of uncertainty—the bringing off of even—the greatest triumph would be dull, routine, and eminently unsatisfying. – J. Paul Getty

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. – Vincent van Gogh