Integrating Technology Tools into Art Instruction

 

Subject:  Arts

Grades:  4, 5

Technology tools:  Computer(s), Digital camera

Tools used:  electronic presentation

Activity type:  Lesson, Unit, Project, Research, individual/collaborative work

My objectives are to encourage the use of technology in my classroom, to have the students learn more about using digital cameras/computers, to demonstrate that electronic presentations can be an art form, and creating electronic presentations can be a real life art career.

My students are working as teams to create electronic presentations on one (of their choice) of the Elements of Art.  They can choose from color, shape, line, texture, value, space, or form. 

They are using the computer and digital camera to explain/teach/illustrate their product with visuals.

This lesson, still in the works, has caused a lot of excitement with the students! 

I have found that we help each other.  I share my skills and they enjoy helping me and the other students by sharing their skills.

I'll be as proud of them as the students because this is a learning process for me too!
I use this as a real life situation.  We have a company that needs an informational product and the students are the producers of the product.  The class response will be the judge if their product would fit the needs of the company.

Since this is a visual product we will have the actual finished work for the assessment.

They are required to have at least ten pages and more is encouraged.  At this point it may be necessary to limit them since they are so excited!  Intro page, definition, examples of the Element, actual examples they found at school and from research on the computer will be included, and the compilation of team's efforts are some of the things I expect them to have in their presentation.

This activity has been highly successful so far.  I have students coming in during the day to tell/show me things they have found in the school to demo their element.  For example - I like seeing them get excited about the texture of the wall!  It may be the first time they really looked at them closely.  It is like a new discovery for them.

These productions will be used with my students next year to introduce the students to the various Elements of Art as we use them and as an example of what they can do also.

I would like to have an LCD projector to use so the creators could see what it looks like on a big screen, see what they might need to adjust for a more eye catching product and also to show the final products to the rest of the students.

Donna Buchanan, Art, Jenkins Elementary