As an artist today, there are many skills I need to have beyond making art! I need to be able to take strong photos of my artwork, write artist statements, have a website and online presence, as well as be able to talk about my work and process. These are some of the skills I hope to nurture through the implemention of blogging for my students (and myself). I believe it is particularly important for the students in a TAB classroom to take the time to document their process and growth. Since each student is setting a unique goal for themselves and students are not graded with project-specific rubrics, blogging has become an important assessment tool. A valuable tool for learning 21st century skills, I believe the blog is indispensible. Unfortunately, the students do not all have the same opinion. Many students are having a hard time maintaining their blogs and are resistant to working on them. How can I engage students in this activity in a way that is meaningful and moves beyond a task to complete because the teacher said so? I have tried explaining the benefits of the blog and why we are taking time to do it, yet some still resist. I have been considering what other options I may be able to give students who are struggling with this tool for documentation. Today, I have been investigating options for students to do audio recordings of their voice for their blog posts and artist statements. I have told students that they could do this, but did not provide any information on how to do it. I tried a few different apps, but decided that Vocaroo will be the one I introduce to students. I chose this one because there is an option to automatically generate a QR code that can be put on display next to the student work. You can also download an MP3 file that can be uploaded to the student blogs as a file. As an alternative to the weebly blogs, I began researching padlet. I have been wondering if some students may prefer this application over the weebly blogs, but haven't had the opporunity to really investigate it until now. For the students who struggle with technology and writing, I think that I will create a padlet template that students can copy then personalize. If this will benefit any of my students, then it is time well spent. In this world where technology is ever-changing, it can be a challenge to find the write options for students. Making decisions about what is best for them can be overwhelming. I keep trying to remind myself that my teaching is a work in progress and that I don't have to have it all figured out yet... in fact, I don't think it is even possible to ever have it ALL figured out. I think the trick is being willing to reflect on what is and is not working while remembering my goals for my students and then working to develop the resources they need to be successful. Here's hoping that adding some of these options will engage more students in the authentic process of reflection and documentation as artists.
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AuthorMrs. Taborda is the studio art teacher at Oxford High School in Oxford, MA. This blog will document her journey as an educator and share the happenings of the OHS art room. Archives
November 2018
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