Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Integrated Lesson Plan- Week 11

Integrated Lesson Plan

Subject: Art
Grade Level: 9th Grade
Lesson: Figure in Motion-(short animation using clay figures)

This lesson will be used in a unit for the figure in motion.  The objective of the lesson will be to teach students about the anatomy of the figure and how it moves.  We will then use what we have learned on the anatomy and motion and create small clay sculptures as our characters in a short animated film.

The first session will be done independently, in which the students will have the opportunity to learn the bascis of the human form. They will be required to have a sketchbook with various drawings on the sketletal structure, muscles and joints.  They will need to research and use the biology labs as references.  The sketches will then be analyzed and shared with the class for discussion and critique.

Once a basic understanding of the figure is established, a trip will be arranged in a local dance studio, where the students can sketch freely and put together what they have learned of the anatomy of the body with motion.  They will have quick gesture drawings which will allow them to see how the body can move and how the joints and muscles they have studied come into play.

The student will then be put into groups of 3 to 4 and will have to come up with a short story which will be used for their animation.  Once all storylines are reviewed and approved, the students will be responsible for setting up a backdrop(stage& props) for their scenes.  It can range from nature, interiors, or whatever goes with their story and should be painted on mat board or cardboard. They will be required to have a least two characters made with a wire skeletal system (which they can use their earlier sketches to reference)  and plasticine(clay) covering which is very pliable and durable.

Lastly, after all the backgrounds, props and figures are created, it is time to create the animation!

They will use a digital camera and take 20-30 shots , moving the figures and the scene slightly in each shot in order to created the movement for the final product.  The completed animations should be no more than 3 minutes long.

The images will be uploaded onto the computer and compiled using Microsoft Movie Maker to complete the project. Using this program, the images and arranged and shown at the right speed so the characters come to life.  Music and dialogue are optional.

This lesson will not only teach them about the anatomy and motion of the figure, but it will allow them to use what they have learned and bring it to life.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Week 10- Texting

Over the past years it is evident that the use of technology has been a major part of kids everyday life.  They are either texting friends, posting thoughts and photos on facebook or myspace, sharing personal information with each other, which is a great way of communication, but this could lead to inappropriate misuse of technology which we have seen in this weeks lesson.
 
Kids taking their lives because of the simple mistakes that kids have been making for years.  Trusting the wrong people and not thinking of the repercussions of their actions.  Lets face it they are kids, most of us have made pretty stupid mistakes at that age as well, the only differencce is that with technology, the information spreads quickly to large masses and there is always a record of it that the child can't seem to escape.

I believe that a parent should be responsible for teaching their child the proper way to use the technology they are allowing their children to have access to.  Their should be  boundaries set, which will allow their kids freedom to explore, but should be monitored for inappropriate behaviour.  Parents need to take a more active role in knowing their kids and looking for clues which show signs of trouble and informing their kids on what is safe and what could be a potential threat.

As for schools, I feel strongly against having cell phones use during school hours.  Is there really a need for it?  If there is an emergency, the school usually has access to all the parents information. Unfortunaltly, that is not the reality and kids have access to their cell phones during school hours, so it would only make sence for the school to teach kids the right way to share information and the repercussions for using technology in the wrong way. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Fair Use

As defined in the Copyright 101 article, fair use allows for protected work to be used or copied for educational purposes and does not require the permission to be copied.  The four factors which help define fair use include:

1) the purpose of the use
2) the nature of the work
3) the amount of work used in relation to the work as a whole
4) the effect of the use on the market or income

How fair use applies to education:

Many educators either are not aware or choose not to take into consideration the copyright laws when preparing for lessons or showing material.   After reading these articles, things that I thought were acceptable obviously are not fair use.  We need to take into consideration that the work should be used for educational reasons to support our ideas.   Students need to be made aware that using the material for instructional purposes is acceptable but need to be aware that when using material outside of education, permission must always be granted by owner.  After taking that quiz and realizing how horrible I had done, I really feel that it is important for me to educate myself on what is acceptable and how to use the information properly.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Technology Information Matrix-Assignment 8

In this blog post I have chosen "Animal Story: An Informal Narrative" 1-1 as my example which is listed under the Active Learning and Infusion category in the Technology Matrix.

In this lesson, the students were to do multiple assignments which involved the Everglades.  The students went out on field trip with their parents to the Everglades park, they had a guest speaker, read related books and researched on the Internet.  They were then required to take the information and use it new and innovative ways.  They created a mural, short stories, slideshows, gameboards and even created a news broadcast.  The students were exposed to not only the real world experience and traditional learning methods, but they were able to explore with different types of technology, such as Ilife, Iphotos,Imovies and sound files to create their final project.

The Nets for Teachers standards that best apply to this lesson were:

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
A.promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
B.engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
D.model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others i face-to-face and virtual environments.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
A.design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate                                        digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
A.
demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer                                                   of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
B. 
collaborate with students, peers, patents and community members                                   using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
   
D.
model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital                                       tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to                               support research and learning.
Well after finally allowing myself to push through what I thought was going to be impossible, I realized that I knew a little more about technology or at least found a way to understand it than I was giving myself credit for.  I believe that I am probably at the Adaption stage, I definitely want to push myself further and be able to engage the students and allow them to use technology to their advantage the way this 4th grade teacher did in her class.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Week 7- Impressionist Podcast


In this podcast, I used Impressionism as my main focus to discuss what was reviewed in class as well as what is to be expected on an upcoming exam. I used the podcast to review the movement, techniques and artist and how what they have learned is to be used in their next weeks assingment.

I found using the podcast as a great tool for teachers to use to help their students review material that was covered in class as well as for students who must miss class and can easily get the information at home without falling behind. I would be very open to using podcasts in my class, not only for my students, but it acts as an organizer of materials covered for the teacher as well.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Week 5 Slidecast


It is great to see that there is another way of delivering informantion to our students and parents, which can be delivered and accessed easily. In art, this would be a great way to create study notes which would have slides of various art aided with audio, and easily viewed as a study aid from home.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Week 4 Assignment



Using Google Docs to create a slideshow was not as bad as I had imagined. I was able to easily compose the slides and add photos and text. This would certainly be a useful tool in the classroom if it were used to post a student's work that could easily be viewed by the class and teacher. Also, embedding the presentation into a blog makes it easy to view without opening up seperate documents.