Dot Day was a big hit this year!

Students throughout Kindergarten through third grade read the book "The Dot" , by Peter Reynolds. We celebrated International Dot Day in September as each grade level created different dot inspired artwork that served to remind us that everyone is an artist.  

Starting the Trimester with Ms. Raemer, Our Student Teacher!

We began the year with Ms. Raemer, our wonderful student intern form St. Michael's College. One of our first lessons at Summit Street School was to have everyone create a flower for our Van Gogh inspired vases. We looked at the many sunflower paintings Van Gogh created as he studied the effects of light on his still lifes. 

The Final Iteration of My Presentation

 After some more additions of pictures, videos my presentation is done. I have added a rubric and connections to standards at the end. My hope is to use this slide show or parts of it to introduce students and or teachers to STEAM projects we can do together.

I keep struggling with the idea of standards and parameters. I know for myself as a student I need some boundaries, but also the option to go beyond the proverbial box.  This question has been weighing heavily as I wrestle with it for my research project on creativity. Time is of the essence in a student's day and teachers have to justify how they spend every minute, so the idea of just tinkering and playing to see where you end up is a tough sell. Looking for teacher's willing to have a genius hour once a week in school where kids choose what they want to explore or a problem they want to solve is the best option I can come up with. There is of course potential to integrate STEAM into everyday learning in small ways that tap into this type of creative thinking. The carry over in how students approach problems and solving them is a lifelong lesson. I believe strongly in integrating with the arts as I have done this for years and now to have the STEAM component is just a logical addition.
Our students need to know how to read, write and know the importance of math skills, but unless we can connect these things to their real world we are on a road that keeps getting steeper and longer. Integrating when done well can connect all of these things at one time and still be meaningful for all content be covered. I see it as the only way we can meet the standards and demands of the future without turning our kids into standardized test taking zombies that only know one right answer!
Click here for a link to my final CML project. Full STEAM Ahead!

I ended up eloping with my date!

Things got moving way too fast and before I knew it I was head over heels with making. Oh the possibilities for what I could do in art class with my students. I decided since I was so new to making I needed a portfolio of projects I felt comfortable to teach to my students. My biggest take away on all of the work was feeling so like a student; overwhelmed, excited, frustrated, successful, determined and proud.
I quickly discovered my art sensibilities coming through with each project. I realized I didn't like electronic things showing through in the art, I liked having more control over how to control the power sources by hiding them, adding switches, etc.
I need to add more to the final presentation, like the curriculum connections, a rubric, etc. I am not certain which grade levels I will be working with, but I have been pouring over the new national art standards, as well as NGSS and ITSE. There are so many connections that I have found already and I can see so many art integration connections to these STEAM lessons to tie in literacy as well.  I met with my district librarians to brainstorm maker space ideas in our schools and I am set to collaborate with two of the librarians in the two schools I teach at.
I have marked so many pages in the Invent to Learn book and I just keep making connections, being prompted to try new things and how to avoid things. More on the book later....
I thought the slide show is something I can use with students to introduce concepts and help them fall in love with making as quickly as I did!
Check out the slideshow.
https://docs.google.com/a/ccsuvt.org/presentation/d/1P1r0RmmjeRw4FWOuwgkGNYb0Paan_sqR6ElFxFlgT7Q/edit?usp=sharing

Double Date?

I am looking forward to meeting with my school librarians tomorrow to discuss their vision of what a Makerspace will look like and how and when it will be used. I am hoping we cans join forces and supplies.

I think given the inspiration from Ellen, Megan and Kathy with e-textiles and paper circuits that I will integrate those maker projects into my arts integrated curriculum regardless of what I do with creating makerspaces. I think fourth grade would be a good choice for sewing and the technology really fits in well with their NGSS. I think the paper circuitry could connect to almost any other content area with visual art, so I will finish my sample circuit book and see what areas classrooms teachers would like to integrate. I really am drawn to the idea of old school meets new and after  taking a great bookmaking course last summer I feel like the traditional bookmaking skills combined with circuitry is a great marriage. Likewise sewing and circuitry are a good balance. I noted that during the e-textile session I was feeling a bit frazzled with all the new learning, but as soon as I began sewing I felt myself calm down. I can see how some students might feel frustrated with sewing, but not with technical aspect of things as I witnessed with some of my peers during the e-textile session:-)

CML Brainstorm #2

My first idea is to join forces with my librarians to create maker spaces in each of the school learning centers where I work, due to my shifting schedule. My second idea is to either create a space using bookshelves in my grade 4-5 art room because there is more space and the other idea is to create a maker cart. By using a series of bins and keeping materials organized I could have it available in the art room for students to pull out or I could also move it to other classrooms. In my grades K-3, Summit Street School the art room is extremely small with no additional storage so this is my bigger challenge. I read in one post where an art teacher does a maker cart with the idea that classroom teachers sign it out and you keep track of consumables by having an inventory list of materials used and hopefully teacher fill out the form to keep the inventory of materials current. I am not sure how feasible this plan is given experience with sign out calendars for technology carts.

I know give my personality I am a bit of an organizational freak (for an art teacher) so trying to maintain a cart that others use and perhaps not keep up with posting materials used might make me a little crazy...being honest:-) I know with anything new people have to get used to new routines and trained. Any suggestions?

My CML Brainstorm Ideas

       Like most of you I needed some time to digest and process all the great stuff we learned. I liken this past week to learning how to tread water, while watching others display their different strokes as they moved through the virtual pool of making and creating!

       My first order of business was to reach out to my school librarians, as they both were interested in pursuing the creation of makerspaces in their learning centers. Summit Street is K-3rd grade and Thomas Fleming is grades 4-5. We are tentatively set to all meet next week, along with another K-3 librarian in our district. These conversations are leading me to some possible goals for CML.

• Idea one is to collaborate with both librarians to share resources and create maker spaces in the Learning Center. Students would have greater access to the Learning Center than my art room as I travel between buildings each week. Collaborating might involve working with specific classrooms during my arts integration day. So far both librarians have very tight schedules teaching on my AI day, which happens to be Friday. We would like to have different classroom teachers rotate through and focus on integrating NGSS, Tech and art standards, through a STEAM driven format. Students will/can also use writing skills to reflect on their work and the process. 
• I am also hosting a student teacher this fall, as well as beginning my graduate research protocols and data collection on creativity. Create, Make and Learn will dovetail quite well with my graduate research on teaching for creativity and teaching more creatively. My arts integration sessions should also fit in nicely with this work.