New Tools

I posted on All Teachers Bump Their Heads out of frustration because eblogger changed settings and I could not post here.

My recent class in Web 2.0 has me twirling with all the new tools and possibilities for accessing student learning modes. Cool new tools like Photostory, Edublogger, Flixtime, Sound Station and so many more offer new ways to engage students in our classrooms.

I hope to offer a Web 2.0 PIR or better yet study group in collaboration with Sue Zielanski this fall, where we will explore and utilize some of the things we learned in this class. One of the ways I am organizing myself currently is through a delicious bookmarking system, where I post my bookmarks and can share those with others through del.icio.us. Oh the places we'll go!

Meanwhile, check out the video I made and posted on All Teacher Bump Their Heads blog, and keep blogging, all. It is the Wave of the future.

curriculum document

The art departments in the high school and elementary/middle school have worked hard together this year designing a standards based curriculum that creates better cohesion between schools.

Last fall the school board and administrators asked HPT groups to align curriculum and create a sustainable document that could be used to build programs to bridge the transition between schools. The high school document is now complete and the elementary/middle school is very close. They will be presented during a meeting with the board in April.

Meanwhile, the high school students have begun work on their fresco project, learning the ways artists like Michelangelo and Da Vinci painted and worked during the Renaissance. Watch for samples of the work soon.

Sculpture students have recently completed "Altered Books" and they are amazing! We cover 'subjects' such as zombies, bike accidents, fantasy world, outdoor living, international travel and more. I can't wait to display them.

Stay tuned for more after Spring Break.

December student work

Students at the high school recently completed some drawings using value to create "mood". Many of those are published on the Artsonia.com website, under Bigfork High School. Here are some samples from that series by (from top) Olivia, Bayne and Abi (below).

Current projects include hallway perspective drawings and one and two point interior/exterior drawings.

Ceramics class is in the process of their first cone 6 firing, and can't wait to see the results of a mid-range fire. Their teapots have been extremely well crafted and should make a great "tea party" when complete.

Photography students are working on self portraits and some pop-up cards, after having worked hard on a photo essay and photographer research online. Some of the students sent entries to an online contest for wildlife photography as well, while others photo-share on flickr or photobucket. Watch for more in this blog!

Hockaday Museum of Art visited!

7th and 8th Graders carving pumpkins:

"Color, is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul." ~Wassily Kandinsky

Kindergartners were painting Rainbows!

~Watercolor paint