Passionate Paphiopedilum

2006-03-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

"Art is literacy of the heart" ~ Elliot Eisner

Blogging in Art Education

2005-11-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

Background History of Blogs

Precursors to Blogs were the electronic communities that existed before internetworking. For example, the AP wire was similar to a large chat room where “wire fights” and electronic conversations took place. Another pre-digital electronic community was the “ham” radio. This allowed individuals to set up their own broadcasting equipment to communicate with others directly. Before blogging became popular, digital communities like Usenet, email lists and bulletin boards were utilized to communicate. In the 1990’s Internet forum software, such as WebX, created running conversations with threads. Many of the terms from weblogging were created from these earlier media.

The shorter version, “blog,” was coined by Peter Merholz in May of 1999, when he broke the word weblog into the phrase “we blog” in the sidebar of his weblog. This was interpreted as a short form of the noun and also as a verb, to blog, meaning, “to edit one’s weblog or a post to one’s weblog.”(Peter Merholz) In 1999 there were dozens of blogs; today there are millions of blogs. In an effort to make their own work easier, blogging pioneers built tools that allowed anyone, no matter how little Internet savvy he or she possessed, to create and maintain a blog. The only thing one needs to get started is a name, a password, and an e-mail address. One of the first hosted weblog tools was named Blogger.com, which was launched in August 1999 by Evan Williams, Paul Bausch, and Meg Hourihan.

Word of the Year
Blogger.com quickly became the largest and best-known tool of its kind. Blogger.com’s appeal is that it let people store blogs on their own servers, rather than on a remote base. This allowed them to have a personalized address (like www.yourname.com) as opposed to other blogging tools where your address starts at the remote server. Google purchased Blogger.com, for an undisclosed sum of money in 2004. As of March 2003, the Oxford English Dictionary included the terms weblog, weblogging and weblogger in their dictionary. In 2004, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary declared “Blog” as the word of the year! (Wikinews)

Weblogs in Education
What does this mean for educators and their students? In a broad sense, the advent of easy-to-use web publishing tools has effectively lowered the technology barrier, allowing faculty and students to finally take full advantage of the promise of the internet as a technology that bridges space and time, cultures and languages, and enables communication on a global scale. In 1997, Tim Berners-Lee, web inventor and director of the World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C), commented to members that "The Web should be a medium for the communication between people: communication through shared knowledge." Features like integrated tools for discussion and comments, automatic archiving of materials, and content syndication establish weblogs as ideal spaces for both the presentation and discussion of knowledge and information, paving the way for the realization of Berners-Lee's vision of the web as a vehicle for worldwide communication. Indeed, the open, flexible nature of weblogs encourages such dialogues; many faculty weblog users, or "bloggers," have invited individuals from local, national, and international communities to participate in their classes via their weblogs. In the hands of creative teachers, weblogs can enable students to connect their classroom experience to the "real world." (Lohnes, 2005) (National Institute of Technology and Liberal Education)

Blogs in Art Education
Blogs are being used in the art classroom in a variety of ways. Educational blogs can be used for course management, student portfolios, collaboration, or any combination thereof. In many of these various formats, blogs are being used to strengthen class community. Colleen Wheeler, a blogger and member of the Information Technology & Services staff at Wheaton College in Norton, MA, explains, "weblogs can support many of the critical touch-points in the college experience, as a living, reflective journal informing a student's portfolio; a bridge to connect class content and writing assignments; a strategic tool to fuel ongoing research; collective memory for remote or co-located teams; or a gentle orientation to the new student or employee, providing insight and context into how an unfamiliar community really works."
(National Institute ofTechnology and Liberal Education)

Course Management Software
Integrating content management software in the classroom, teachers are using weblogs to provide course content such as syllabi, assignments, and updates. Blackboard, Nicenet, and Livejournal are some examples of content management software that teachers can access online to submit and review weekly or daily assignments. Using this format is similar to the static web pages that teachers have been creating for years to provide this information; weblogs simply enable teachers to post and update materials with more ease, efficiency, and flexibility. Students can easily access their assignments from the World Wide Web, and post them just as easily. Typically a student can copy their assignments from Word, and paste their document into the electronic blackboard. The teacher can respond to the student through another post, or by E-mail. An ongoing electronic conversation can take place in this format, creating an interactive online experience.

Student Portfolios
Student portfolios have become an increasingly popular way to organize and present student work. A portfolio can best be described as “a purposeful collection of student work.” (Mullen et al, 2005) In addition, according to Colleen Wheeler of Wheaton College, students "are energized by the opportunity to create their own spaces."
Portfolios can feature:
* Examples of student’s work
* Can offer examples of self reflection
* Can provide a means for self assessment
* Make connections between theory and practice
* Collaborative learning experiences
* Communication and feedback between students and teachers
Most weblog tools automatically archive older materials as new content is posted. This is a useful feature, because it allows students to sift through a semester's worth of materials (or more), and draw connections between materials posted at different times during the developmental process.

Conclusion
As we've seen, weblogs provide an excellent opportunity for students and teachers to publish materials to the web. As teachers and technology experts continue to experiment with weblogs as a classroom tool, we'll begin to get a better perspective of where weblogs belong in our educational toolbox. Hopefully as an educator, you have been inspired by the open, inclusive nature of blogs, and can envision utilizing blogs in your art classroom. Blogs are an excellent means of fostering communities of learners; communities that include not only students and teachers in a class, but also people from the outside world: professionals, parents, and local community members. As Middlebury College's Eric Davis says: "Liberal arts education is not limited in time and in space to the activities that take place for three hours a week within classroom walls. The Weblog made it easier for education to take place in all venues and at all times, while maintaining personal contact (mediated by technology, to be sure) between the students and the faculty member and among the students themselves."

Educational Weblogs
Weblogg-Ed , Weblogg-Ed, blogged by Will Richardson
Campus Technology, Blogs: A disruptive Technology Coming of Age, blogged by Sebastian Fieldler
Wired News, Blogging Goes Legit, Sort of, blogged by Noah Schactman of Wired News

Educational Weblogs
Teaching and Developing Online

Examples of Classroom Weblog Projects
First Monday. The Educated Blogger: Using Weblogs to Promote Literacy in the Classroom by David Huffaker
Buckman Arts Magnet Elementary School
Weblogs in Higher Education Art Educators' Virtual Drop-In Center

Weblog Software Vendors
Blogger.com
TypePad
Zimply Search
Flickr
Shutterfly

Blogging Activity
Teacher: Ellen B. Cohan
Grade: 9-12th grade
Lesson: Reflective Journal of Studio Art Work

Standards:
* 9.1.12A Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the arts and humanities.
* 9.1.12F Analyze works of arts influenced by experiences or historical and cultural events through production, performance or exhibition.
* 9.2.12F Know and apply appropriate vocabulary used between social studies and the arts and humanities.
* 9.3.12A Explain and apply the critical examination processes of works in the arts and humanities.
National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S):
* 1A Students will demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
* 1B Students are proficient in the use of technology.
* 2B Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
* 3A Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

Brief History/Background:
Goal: The goal of the lesson is to have the students create an artist’s journal in a blog, where they will download images of their studio work, and write a reflective statement on the artistic process and product.

Objectives:
1. The students will demonstrate technological skills in: creating a personal blog, downloading images onto their computer, uploading the images into their blog, and posting a journal entry on the studio project they have created.
2. The students will create an ongoing journaling experience where they can observe their artistic experiences and writing skills throughout the course of the school year.
3. The students will create an online portfolio of their studio work.

Requirements:
1. To complete the studio assignment in a timely manner.
2. To digitally capture the assignment and download the image onto their computer, in their file.
3. To upload the image into their blogs, and make a reflective journal entry about their work of art.

Resource Materials:
1. Examples of Artist’s Journals
2. Examples of Artist’s Journals online
3. Demonstration on creating a Weblog
4. Demonstration creating an account with Flickr
5. Examples of Art Blogs online

Supplies/Materials:
1. Computer
2. Digital Camera
3. Internet Access
4. Studio Assignment

Teacher Preparation:
1. Gather the resource materials
2. Research appropriate Artist’s Journals online to show
3. Research appropriate Art Blogs online to show
4. Prepare a handout for setting up a Blogger.com account, and a Flickr account

Teaching:
Introduction: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). These journal entries are a place for each of you to reflect on your experience and your art. It is a safe place to make entries, in a non-judgmental format. You will not be graded on what was written, only that you made a daily entry. You can write about what feelings come up for you while you are in class, working on your art, and maybe some hopes for yourself and for your artwork.

Directions:
1. Go to Blogger.com, and set up your blog.
2. Choose a template, and personalize it.
3. Go to Flickr.com and set up an account.
4. Download your studio art project you have most recently completed into your computer, and upload the image into your Flickr account.
5. Now, upload the image into your blog, and write a reflective statement.
6. Each day I want you to make an entry reflecting on your art, creative ideas for future projects, or anything you would like.
Closure: Pablo Picasso said, “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” Keeping a weblog of your studio art and reflections is way of keeping an electronic journal, which creates a community of artistic learners within our classroom. As a community, please post a comment on your classmate’s blogs in a constructive, caring manner.

Critique/Evaluation/Assessment: Critique and evaluation will be based on several factors. The students will create their Blogger.com and Flickr.com accounts in a timely manner. They will upload their images into Flickr.com, and download their images into their blogs. The students will post a journal entry into their blogs, reflecting on their art.

Extensions: The students can browse their peer’s blogs, and make a constructive comment on their peer’s work.

Time Budget:
2-85 Minute Classes
15 minute introduction and discussion about journaling, blogs, and online photographic storage sites.
60 minutes to set up their accounts on Blogger.com and Flickr.com.
5 minute conclusion/discussion
5-10 Minutes to write a daily post

Vocabulary:
1. Weblogs: Online journals that are interactive in nature.
2. Webliography: A list of particular documents available on the Web (dictionary tool),
3. Download: To transfer or copy data from one computer to another, or from one device to another.
4. Upload: To transfer data or programs, usually from a peripheral computer to a central, often remote computer.
5. Journal: Someone’s written daily record of personal experiences.
6. Reflection: As in a journal entry, an idea or thought, especially one produced by careful consideration of something.

Safety Concerns: None

Bibliography/References:
1. Cameron, J. (2002). The artist's way. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc..
2. Blogger.com
3. Flickr.com
4. Ezine Articles; Artist's Blogs
5. A Watercolor Artist's Journal
6. Cartoon Brew Blog
7. Blowing Kisses
8. An Artist's Personal Journal

2005-10-26T23:18:00.000-04:00

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle (384BC-322BC)

New Palm Frond

2005-10-25T23:36:00.000-04:00

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." Joseph Chilton Pearce

Hibiscus

2005-10-24T22:36:00.000-04:00

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

An Agave

2005-10-23T23:56:00.000-04:00

"Nature does nothing uselessly." Aristotle (384BC-322BC)

Palm Bark

2005-10-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

"The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially the channel." Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)

Taking Root

2005-10-20T17:56:00.000-04:00

"Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature." Cicero

Croton Leaves in St. Lucia

2005-10-19T21:47:00.000-04:00

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887

Mayapple

2005-10-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

"I do not seek. I find." Pablo Picasso

Bananna Leaf

2005-10-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

"To the Tao photographer, no world is too small, no detail too minor to merit the utmost intensity of inner attention" (Ang, 2000).

The composition of the leaf is created by the artistry in which you work with line,
shape, form, value, texture, color and space.

2005-10-17T01:03:00.000-04:00

This is a first try at posting on my blog, Calligraphy of the Leaf. The title reflects my belief in the innate beauty that leaves possess, and their inspiration for my art.

2005-10-16T22:28:00.000-04:00

"You and the Leaf are one. There is a difference only in heartbeats." Kahlil Gibran Karl Blossfeldt, who spent a lifetime studying plants in monumental detail, echoes this feeling. As he says, plants are themselves works of art, created by a life"...impellimg everything with elemental force to the highes artistic form."

CalligraphyoftheLeaf