Monday, February 23, 2009
ArtsEdge
The ArtsEdge site of the Kennedy Center is a more professional and expansive version of CAPE. I spent most of my time on this site in the "Teach > Lessons" section, and it is amazing how many arts integration lesson plans are available, and the search feature is particularly well-organized so that you can search by "arts subject," "other subject," and "grade band" (i.e. age group). I keep hearing from our art ed. profs how sharing, borrowing, and even "stealing" ideas is totally legit in the field of art education, and I am really starting to believe it, seeing how many different sites make resources and lesson plans available to the general public. After spending much of the weekend writing lesson plans for Curriculum & Instruction class, it is extremely helpful to know there are go-to places for ideas and that not every lesson plan I teach has to be conceived of solely from my own personal genius. Phew!
Art Ed. 2.0...social networking for art educators
First off, who knew that typography art was so popular? I found this video called "Typolution" on the site, and it is just like the sites we've been looking at for our project...I didn't know about this typography art niche, but now it seems like it's everywhere!
It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that this is a social networking site like facebook for art teachers, but once I got what it was all about and got "approved," it was pretty fun to peruse around. It's a good idea; more targeted social networking like this seems to serve a clearer purpose than the typical social networking sites, which can quickly become time-wasters. I like the photo and video galleries; if for no other reason, it is great just to scan through and get ideas. There are a lot of interesting discussion forums and blogs, from technology in art to classroom management to a "green" page with resources gathered by other art teachers -- I found a bunch of sites to bookmark for thesis research. This is a great site; it is already proving useful and should continue to be once we are art teachers...a particularly interesting artist I discovered is Chris Jordan, who does some pretty interesting work on mass consumerism (mostly photos).
I'd never heard about this "Ning" interface which allows the average joe to create a social network. I kind of like this since I feel like facebook is monopolizing the planet and becoming a surveillance threat...
It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that this is a social networking site like facebook for art teachers, but once I got what it was all about and got "approved," it was pretty fun to peruse around. It's a good idea; more targeted social networking like this seems to serve a clearer purpose than the typical social networking sites, which can quickly become time-wasters. I like the photo and video galleries; if for no other reason, it is great just to scan through and get ideas. There are a lot of interesting discussion forums and blogs, from technology in art to classroom management to a "green" page with resources gathered by other art teachers -- I found a bunch of sites to bookmark for thesis research. This is a great site; it is already proving useful and should continue to be once we are art teachers...a particularly interesting artist I discovered is Chris Jordan, who does some pretty interesting work on mass consumerism (mostly photos).
I'd never heard about this "Ning" interface which allows the average joe to create a social network. I kind of like this since I feel like facebook is monopolizing the planet and becoming a surveillance threat...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Community Arts Network
We know how I feel about long scroll-intensive/text-heavy home pages by now...while this one is definitely too scrolly for my simple tastes, once I got over my overwhelmedness I found lots of interesting articles and came to really appreciate the depth and organization of the site.
In the headlines, I found a good one on Going Green with Public Art Policy, which is not only interesting and relevant to all artists given our current "climate," but it is related to my thesis topic! I enjoyed reading the article, and then I found the sidebar list which appeared on the right-hand side to be helpful, as it listed other articles I might be interested in related to the same topic. I didn't notice when I was on the homepage because there was so much to take in, but once I was reading an article, I noticed the different categories that appear on the left-hand sidebar: disciplines/populations/social contexts/the field/resources. These links direct you to archives on the given topic, and I liked that I was able to subscribe to email notifications about the specific topic.
This site has A LOT to offer; my suggestions for improvement would be to streamline the homepage, perhaps add some more graphics and cut down on the text, perhaps with some links to the major categories: recent articles, blogs, news, forums, links, etc. instead of having everything right there.
In the headlines, I found a good one on Going Green with Public Art Policy, which is not only interesting and relevant to all artists given our current "climate," but it is related to my thesis topic! I enjoyed reading the article, and then I found the sidebar list which appeared on the right-hand side to be helpful, as it listed other articles I might be interested in related to the same topic. I didn't notice when I was on the homepage because there was so much to take in, but once I was reading an article, I noticed the different categories that appear on the left-hand sidebar: disciplines/populations/social contexts/the field/resources. These links direct you to archives on the given topic, and I liked that I was able to subscribe to email notifications about the specific topic.
This site has A LOT to offer; my suggestions for improvement would be to streamline the homepage, perhaps add some more graphics and cut down on the text, perhaps with some links to the major categories: recent articles, blogs, news, forums, links, etc. instead of having everything right there.
Monday, February 16, 2009
CAPE (Chicago Arts Partnership in Education)
The Chicago Arts Partnership in Education is a phenomenal website! I have read bits and pieces of the book they published on arts integration, Renaissance in the Classroom, and it is a great compilation of practical/theoretical resources about this topic. Highly recommended. The site is also a vast resource. An art teacher whose class I observed last semester was involved in CAPE and showed me a great archive of actual unit/lesson plans that integrate the arts. It can be found under the "CAPE: Research/Action Research" > "Examples." You can do searches by topic area or "strand," school, school year, or grade level. Definitely inspirational and useful material for when we start developing lessons for our thesis projects, particularly us MATs who will be working in CPS. Perusing the site, I managed to cut through the stressed out thesis feeling and get excited about the process. There are tons of examples of actual research questions linked to activities which sought to answer them. After all of the theoretical readings we've done about this, it's refreshing to see concrete examples, and plenty of colorful, thoughtful, and humorous kid art, in addition to lots of links to publications, events, and I signed up for their mailing list to get news about arts integration...great site.
Web critique: SAIC portal
The SAIC portal is a complex beast. Actually doing a critique of it has made me look at it in a slightly different light. Although I like to complain about its many downsides, I ended up looking into some of my criticisms to make sure I wasn't just ranting and complaining. I actually ended up learning a thing or two, which may make my portal-user experience just a bit more pleasant.
One of my main beefs with the portal is that it is incredibly dull from a visual standpoint. There is nothing about it that makes me want to dive in and get my hands dirty, which is probably why it has taken me until now to actually look into its different features. I think this is a justified criticism considering we are an art school and all and recognize the importance of visual appeal. About the only thing that adds any visual interest to the site is the slideshow of "featured SAIC art," which I do enjoy. But that is all. From the clouds up top to the gray-blue-blah-with-a-hint-of-red color scheme and the tiny font size, everything visual about it just makes me want to log on, do my business as quickly as possible, and log off.
But I promised I wouldn't just rant. I do not find the navigation of the portal particularly intuitive, but I have to admit that there is a lot of information right there, and in the portions that I do access on a regular basis (Peoplesoft, calendar, financial services), I have been able to eventually find the info that I need after enough clicking around. The titles of the tabs are not particularly helpful (i.e. I see no real distinction between "tools" and "services," so perhaps these two could be combined into one tab or the names could be further specified so that it is clear what is where). Actually, I just learned through the "customize me" tab that I can in fact rename them, so maybe that's just the ticket. I also just discovered the little buttons to minimize and maximize the windows on the first page, which is helpful, because sometimes I suffer from information overload and need to focus on one page. This is particularly helpful for email!
Lastly, I also discovered that I can send in my feedback about the portal (bottom right hand corner under "portal support"), and I can even request feedback. So I just submitted the following comment: "I think it would be extremely useful for all new students entering SAIC to have a mandatory orientation to the many features of the portal at the beginning of the school year, perhaps as a part of the orientation process itself. Or if this is not possible, offering voluntary training sessions throughout the semester would be helpful as well." We might all like the portal better if we'd had a formal orientation to it...we'll see what they say when they write back!
One of my main beefs with the portal is that it is incredibly dull from a visual standpoint. There is nothing about it that makes me want to dive in and get my hands dirty, which is probably why it has taken me until now to actually look into its different features. I think this is a justified criticism considering we are an art school and all and recognize the importance of visual appeal. About the only thing that adds any visual interest to the site is the slideshow of "featured SAIC art," which I do enjoy. But that is all. From the clouds up top to the gray-blue-blah-with-a-hint-of-red color scheme and the tiny font size, everything visual about it just makes me want to log on, do my business as quickly as possible, and log off.
But I promised I wouldn't just rant. I do not find the navigation of the portal particularly intuitive, but I have to admit that there is a lot of information right there, and in the portions that I do access on a regular basis (Peoplesoft, calendar, financial services), I have been able to eventually find the info that I need after enough clicking around. The titles of the tabs are not particularly helpful (i.e. I see no real distinction between "tools" and "services," so perhaps these two could be combined into one tab or the names could be further specified so that it is clear what is where). Actually, I just learned through the "customize me" tab that I can in fact rename them, so maybe that's just the ticket. I also just discovered the little buttons to minimize and maximize the windows on the first page, which is helpful, because sometimes I suffer from information overload and need to focus on one page. This is particularly helpful for email!
Lastly, I also discovered that I can send in my feedback about the portal (bottom right hand corner under "portal support"), and I can even request feedback. So I just submitted the following comment: "I think it would be extremely useful for all new students entering SAIC to have a mandatory orientation to the many features of the portal at the beginning of the school year, perhaps as a part of the orientation process itself. Or if this is not possible, offering voluntary training sessions throughout the semester would be helpful as well." We might all like the portal better if we'd had a formal orientation to it...we'll see what they say when they write back!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Web Critique #2: Hyde Park Art Center
The Hyde Park Art Center is graphically pleasing and very easy to navigate. I like the color/photo choices throughout, and I don't feel overloaded with information. It feels alive and dynamic. I like that each section has a different color. Everything that I might need to know quickly is right there on the first page...Calendar, Contact, Getting Here, Get Involved...and remains on the side-bar throughout the rest of the site
The visuals are well-chosen and images do not compete with one another, as they sometimes do on a site like the NAEA.
It is nice, on the one hand, to have all of the current exhibitions on the first page with visuals and the option to click on the link for more details. On the other hand, it makes for a very long, scroll-intensive first page. I prefer a clean, to-the-point homepage from which I can enter into the parts of the site which interest me. I think a nice, highly visible "current exhibitions" link would be preferable. Maybe one exhibit could be featured on the home page (and rotated), or something like that. Then the scrolling list could just appear on a separate page, as it already does when you click on "Exhibitions."
It is nice, on the one hand, to have all of the current exhibitions on the first page with visuals and the option to click on the link for more details. On the other hand, it makes for a very long, scroll-intensive first page. I prefer a clean, to-the-point homepage from which I can enter into the parts of the site which interest me. I think a nice, highly visible "current exhibitions" link would be preferable. Maybe one exhibit could be featured on the home page (and rotated), or something like that. Then the scrolling list could just appear on a separate page, as it already does when you click on "Exhibitions."
I like how, rather than simple links on the right-hand side bar and throughout the site, there is a heading and then a little blurb about the topic and then the "more details" link to click. The section on classes is particularly well set up. I've often found on community art center websites that course info is buried in a PDF catalog; an effort is not made to make the course catalog web-friendly. I really appreciated that each class had its own page, with details clearly laid out. Some neat classes - hope to try one out some time!
(Chicago) Education politics
So ever since I started to (a) live in the city of Chicago and (b) take first steps towards a likely career in public ed. a few months ago, I've been trying to understand the local politics of education. And how education figures into national politics, particularly as it is changing with Obama at the helm. It is a turbulent water to navigate, I'm learning. Some of my posts on this blog may try to catalogue what I learn from different sources and try to make sense of it all.
Some of my knowledge on the topic comes from SAIC classroom discussions, attending panels/talks (e.g. "Policy Priorities for the New President" at UIC and J. Kozol speaking about "Savage [racial] Inequalities" in public ed., newspaper articles, and the buzz from teachers' groups like TSJ (Teachers for Social Justice) and CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators)...
I understand things in this way: a large number of schools are "failing" (both nationally and in Chicago) to deliver the kind of education that allows students to contribute in a meaningful, "productive" way to society upon graduation. People do not seem to disagree on this point. Fractures become apparent, though, during discussions about what should be done to fix it. There seems to be a strong "privatization" current of thinking, a more corporate model of education favoring parental choice, application processes, vouchers, and commuting to the best school...which becomes more often a charter, magnet, or even private school. This model stands in opposition to a more traditional "neighborhood school" model where children of all abilities, interests, and parental involvement level are mixed and local school councils have a large responsibility in making important decisions for the school community. These clashing viewpoints are at the center of the Renaissance 2010 controversey. Here are some articles which I've come across lately which talk about some of these issues:
-Education Week magazine talks about the pros and cons of A. Duncan as Secretary of Education based on his work in CPS:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/13/18duncan.h28.html?tmp=1376262034
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/12/18kumashiro-com.h28.html?tmp=282759741
Some of my knowledge on the topic comes from SAIC classroom discussions, attending panels/talks (e.g. "Policy Priorities for the New President" at UIC and J. Kozol speaking about "Savage [racial] Inequalities" in public ed., newspaper articles, and the buzz from teachers' groups like TSJ (Teachers for Social Justice) and CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators)...
I understand things in this way: a large number of schools are "failing" (both nationally and in Chicago) to deliver the kind of education that allows students to contribute in a meaningful, "productive" way to society upon graduation. People do not seem to disagree on this point. Fractures become apparent, though, during discussions about what should be done to fix it. There seems to be a strong "privatization" current of thinking, a more corporate model of education favoring parental choice, application processes, vouchers, and commuting to the best school...which becomes more often a charter, magnet, or even private school. This model stands in opposition to a more traditional "neighborhood school" model where children of all abilities, interests, and parental involvement level are mixed and local school councils have a large responsibility in making important decisions for the school community. These clashing viewpoints are at the center of the Renaissance 2010 controversey. Here are some articles which I've come across lately which talk about some of these issues:
-Education Week magazine talks about the pros and cons of A. Duncan as Secretary of Education based on his work in CPS:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/13/18duncan.h28.html?tmp=1376262034
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/12/18kumashiro-com.h28.html?tmp=282759741
-This is about the protest that took place this past Wednesday at the Board of Education protesting the recent "list" of school closings:
http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/Teachers_demand_turnaround_moratorium,20128
http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/Teachers_demand_turnaround_moratorium,20128
-And lastly, an article about what Obama's economic plan promises for education:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/education/28educ.html?_r=1
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