Something For Art

Check out Print and Pattern!!! This site is about all things with prints and patterns. If you too have an obsession with prints, then visiting this inspiring blog is a must, but be warned, it will be addictive…

(Image from Butterfly Blue)

Photography is about seeing, often it is seeing beyond seeing. If you look hard enough, you may be surprised to find faces everywhere, even in some of the most unlikely places. Stumbled upon this really fun blog about Faces in Places. I’m sure after viewing the blog, you will start seeing faces EVERYWHERE!!!

(Image by moonbird)

(Image by mozo999)

I’ve been looking for examples of Chinese ink animations, see what I’ve found on Youtube! Beautiful!!!

Also check out Song of Swan and Chinese Painting and Calligraphy in 3D.

These sites will take you to some of the world’s best mosaic resources and inspiration…absolute stunner!!!
Make Mine Mosaic, Mosaic Art Source, The Joy of Shards

(Image by ortonesque)

“Unlocking Knowledge, Empowering Minds”–Since 2001, MIT has been sharing their curriculum materials online and made them available for anyone to use freely. Currently with 1700 courses to choose from, it offers independent students a MIT education, though without the university experience, access to expertise, degrees and certificates. This substantial collection also serves as a useful teaching resource repository. Art-related courses, such as this and this, can be found under Architecture.

Mighty Optical Illusion is a website dedicated to optical illusions…the site claims that it is “Internet’s Biggest Optical Illusion Database”. Believe it or not, I think it does have a dazzling collection.

Another good site is Optical Illusions Etc. which boasts an impressive range of illusions, all bound to fool your eyes! See to believe…but is seeing believing?

The New Face of Learning by Will Richardson strikes a chord with me. He shared on how blogging has taught him about learning and being a learner. Having been regularly writing and reading blogs in the past yr, my citizenship in this blogosphere has indeed transformed me:

1. it has changed the way I learn and think, I’m enjoying learning again!!!
2. it has broadened my outlook of life and offered me the international perspective without me stepping out of my house.
3. it has led me to new information and ideas from people all over the world…most whom I would not have known if not for blogs.
4. it has encouraged me to share…it is amazing how generous bloggers are with sharing their knowledge on just about anything. The blog world is an unbelievably supportive environment.
5. it has attuned my sensitivity to my surroundings…and suddenly many things are bloggable!
6. and it has allowed me the space to reflect…like what I am doing now.

Looks like for me, blogging is here to stay. Back to Will’s article, while many of our students may be actively engaged in these new digital tools, my suspicion is that many are only swimming at the surface and may not be fully aware of the pedagogical implications of such tools. Just think: Do our kids really think that blogging can help to improve their communication skills? Do they really know how to reflect on others’ blog entries and offer insightful comments? (try reading a few typical students’ blogs, and you will get the idea) Do they really know that learning can be embedded in the use of a mobile phone or ipod? The list of questions goes on.

Ultimately, these are just tools…tools which serve little educational purpose if we do not know how to leverage on them. It is then our challenge to guide students to use them as instruments for learning. Technology should enhance teaching and learning by purposefully integrating it into curriculum and aligning with lesson objectives. As Alan November wrote in Banning Students’ Containers, “It will be the courageous educator who works with students to explore the power of these tools and in turn empowers students to be lifelong learners and active shapers of a world we cannot yet imagine.”

Check out this game site for photographers. “Photogamers are challenged weekly to use their cameras and go into the world to find interesting photographs.” So, with a super tight deadline, the photographers set forth to shoot in response to the themes. Some of these are pretty interesting, like Challenges 10, 13, 15 etc etc etc… Surely a fun and engaging way to get those creative juices flowing!

This is where I go to get my daily dose of inspiration, MoCo Loco and Art MoCo. Both are web magazines featuring modern and contemporary art/design news and views. There are many similar sites out there, such as this, this and this. Tons of arty goodies to feast on!!!! Coursework ideas, anyone???

As I was reading Marc Prensky’s articles, I noted that much of what he said is nothing really new, or rather over the past decade, his ideas have been echoed by like-minded educators who have long been rallying for a technological revolution in education. So much has been said, but apparently we have yet to experience that big leap forward…this is the general impression that I get from my readings. As Prensky aptly put it, “The biggest question about technology and schools in the twenty-first century is not so much What can it do? but, rather, When will it get to do it?”

In Adopt and Adapt, Prensky examined the four steps in which schools typically take to adopt new technologies: 1) Dabbling. 2) Doing old things in old ways. 3) Doing old things in new ways. 4) Doing new things in new ways. I suspect that there are many (like me) who are still at Step 2, gathering courage to embark on a Step 3 journey. So what’s holding us back?

It could be the two barriers that Prensky talked about: Technological and Social. Or it could be the very fact that there is a lot which we, educators, need to unlearn before we could even get to learn new things. Like what Will Richardson wrote in his blog, this may be a “Steep Unlearning Curve” for some of us. I would recommend this 2 readings for the significant thoughts they offer.

I enjoy ads, all sorts–print and non-print, so I’m really happy to have found Ads of the World, “an advertising archive and community showcasing the best and most interesting work worldwide”. Here you will find abundant resources for a lesson on advertising.

Btw, do u know that the Thais have very humorous ads? This is one of them, seen this a couple of times, and it still tickles me.

Want to learn more about the tools which our digital natives are engaged in? Check out this series of articles by EDUCAUSE.

“7 Things You Should Know About… series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.”

The topics include Wikis, Podcasting, Facebook, Creative Commons, Twitter etc…

We cannot stop this rapid technological change, we have to evolve with the times, so let’s start learning! But of course, nothing beats the hands-on exploration with these tools…we don’t have to master them though, just do our best!

I’ve heard of his ideas on “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants”, but never did examine them in greater depth, so today I decided to spend some time reading a couple of his articles. Here’s my brief summary of his key ideas:

Prensky famously coined the term “digital natives”, referring to today’s students who’ve grown up immersed in technology and “digital immigrants” to describe us, the generation born in the pre-digital era. In his writings, he constantly urged educators to ponder over this: “Schools are stuck in the 20th century. Students have rushed into the 21st. How can schools catch up and provide students with a relevant education?”

Our students, native dwellers in the digital environment, “think and process information fundamentally differently” from us who teach them. To bridge the divide, we have to change, our teaching methods need to be adapted to accommodate today’s digital learners.

“We need to invent Digital Native methodologies for all subjects, at all levels, using our students to guide us…to help us learn and integrate” and to make sense of these rapidly advancing tools.

It is not just about using technology, it is about the pedagogy too. It is about designing curriculum that takes advantage of the technological tools which our students are proficient in. The key is to help them harness technology and use it effectively for learning.

We also need to listen to them, consult them, identify what they want to learn and how to learn. “We can no longer decide for our students; we must decide with them.” And we facilitate, not teach, we create an environment in which they can learn best. After all, it is our aim to “engage”, not “enrage” them.

Educators definitely require a major paradigm shift in order to provide our students with an education that is “meaningful, worthwhile, and relevant to the future“. We need to observe the emerging trends, and move on with the tides to remain relevant in the 21st century.

Prensky also said, “Students should be learning 21st century subject matter”. The question for me is “What then is the 21st century subject matter for Art?” Something for me to chew on.

U may like to visit his site to access his articles, they provide a good overview of the changing educational landscape.

“A dynamic and popular exhibition featuring a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the NSW Higher School Certificate examination in Visual Arts, 2006. It includes a broad range of approaches, and expressive forms, including ceramics, collection of works, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video.”

ARTEXPRESS is held in New South Wales (Aust). It showcases the works submitted by Year 12 students for their HSC exams (equivalent to our “A” levels). Take a look at how a state gallery collaborates with the schools to curate an annual art exhibition. The Art Gallery of New South Wales shows its support to local art education by hosting ARTEXPRESS for 24 years! Some noteworthy stuffs:

1. 10 visual arts process diaries for the public to download and view.
2. Connections are made between some exhibits and the works from the gallery’s collection.
3. Framing Questions are worth reading.
4. Thought-provoking questions in Art In Question Education Kit, designed by students at Univ of NSW, College of Fine Arts (Sch of Art Ed).
5. The exhibition is over, but you can still take a virtual tour.

Enjoy the show!

Hoho!! Thanks to the nice folks from Mashable, they have saved me the trouble of navigating and searching the web.

Web Design Toolbox: 50+ Tools for Web Design

90+ Online Photography Tools and Resources

Video Toolbox: 150+ Online Video Tools and Resources

Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers

Visit their site for more impressive compilations! Great resource for beginners!

“startdrawing.org is a web resource portal for Asia’s artists and drawings. This site was started with the aim of showcasing and sharing drawings from talented artists in Asia, and in the process, promote the joys of drawing.”

Finally an Asian drawing site! Take a look at what our Asian talents can offer, I’m sure you will be really delighted with the amazing visual feast there!

ArtThink by SFMOMA, is an online art appreciation site that adopts an interdisciplinary approach. “ArtThink offers your students in-depth investigation of 20th- and 21st-century art and artists by using SFMOMA’s award-winning interactive programs, Making Sense of Modern Art and Voices and Images of California Art as the basis for study. Each section of the site provides online exploration and research of thematic topics plus hands-on, step-by-step activities in language arts, history, and visual arts.”

The site provides teachers with a wealth of curricula ideas and resources while students are treated to an array of tools, games and videos which, hopefully, will bring some fun as they acquire visual literacy skills.

I like this lesson Who Says It’s Art?, which explores the art of “rule-breaking” artists through debates and writing. Check it out!

I stumbled upon this incredible site, I only wish I had known abt it earlier…it existed since 1996…why didn’t anyone tell me???!!!

Anyway, it’s Ubuweb. An eclectic archive of both historical and contemporary avant-garde resources: a massive collection of obscure and out-of-print materials on art, music, films, videos, poetry, sounds etc. Have a little patience and you may find rare gems…I found a BBC film on Francis Bacon, some experimental videos by Man Ray, a documentary by Dali and many more.

Like Youtube, this site has yet to resolve some copyrights issues, but then they don’t seem to care (they do have their policy on copyrighted materials though, do check FAQ). Finally, it’s FREE!!! Yeah!!

Here’s a site which offers a variety of art lesson plans and curriculum ideas:

The ArtsNet Minnesota Project features more than 50 artworks from the Minnesota museums. These works are arranged thematically: Environment, Inner Worlds, Identity, Designing Spaces and Places, and What is Art (quite similar to our SOVA broad themes: Self/Relationships, Society/Culture, Space/Structure and Ideas/Imagination).

The site also includes “artists’ biographies, style characteristics, discussion questions, vocabulary, student activities; and, in some cases, teacher lessons and local student artwork.”

Wow, what a treat!

Whenever I had to cite my sources, I must refer to my long long ago thesis handout, and then carefully typed out my references without missing a comma, colon or spacing. So “Citation Machine” will be really helpful!

With “Citation Machine”, all you need to do is to key in the relevant info in the available fields, and the tool will generate the citation which you can then copy into your document. Apparently it can churn out citations for all forms of print and non-print sources in MLA or APA formats. Great stuff!

Here’s a video tutorial from TeacherTube. Another similar tool is KnightCite Bibliography Maker. Happy Citing!

Download Video: Posted by dianemain at TeacherTube.com.